Albus Potter and the Mark of Lady Sinister
by Al Potter
Summary: A work in progress fanfiction sequel to the Harry Potter series. It follows the first year of Albus Potter at Hogwarts. It introduces new characters, as well as using a few old ones. Changes will be made as time goes on.
1. From Kings Cross

**Chapter 1: From King's Cross**

Ms. Kerissa Balfour, eleven years old, arrived at King's Cross at half past ten on the morning that our story begins. She was short, with curly blonde hair, and was wearing what wizards would refer to as "Muggle Attire". The t-shirt that she was wearing was bright pink, and stood out amongst even the muggles (or non-magical people). She was also wearing a blue jean skirt.

It was Kerissa's first time at Kings Cross. In fact, it was the first time that she had been to England since the death of her parents when she was two years old. After their deaths, she went to live with her Aunt and Uncle in the United States. It was the last wish of her mother, that she go and live with them. Kerissa was what one might call a "witch", though it is not a term that is meant to be derogatory. In fact, most witches are quite proud to be witches. Her mother was a witch, and quite proud of it. So Kerissa too was proud to be a witch.

But her Aunt and Uncle were not witches. Aunt Amanda was a muggle. She was born to a non-magic family, and had no magical abilities to speak of. She was, quite in fact, non-magical, in every sense of the word. As ordinary as they come. She was in her early Forties, though neighbors would swear that she looked no younger than fifty. Some even joked that she looked quite like a man. She had black hair that barely came down to her shoulders. But Aunt Amanda was not at Kings Cross. And Kerissa was quite thankful for that. Because though she appeared nice on the surface, she could be a bit of a witch herself, and not in the sense that she could use magic. She cared very much about her house being clean. More than she cared about Kerissa. She had allowed Kerissa to attend the Salem Preschool for Young Witches, but only so that she could do more chores around the house. If there was one thing that Amanda Williams liked about Kerissa, it was her magic being able to clean her house. Kerissa had recently discovered in _History of Hogwarts - Uncensored_ by Hermione Weasley, that underage magic outside of school was not allowed in England. Not even for doing chores. In the United States, an underage wizard could use magic at home, if they had the proper paperwork signed by a parent or guardian. And Aunt Amanda was more than happy to let Kerissa use magic to clean her house. It gave her more time to focus on her social networking.

Uncle August was not a Muggle. He had been born to a magical family, but he did not have any magical abilities to speak of either. He was what one in the wizard community might refer to as a squib. Squibs were only a step up from Muggles, as far as wizards were concerned. August's sister was Kerissa's mother. And as such, he was named godfather to young Kerissa, despite the fact that he could not use magic. Uncle August was in his late forties, much like his wife. he was tall and lanky, and like Kerissa he had curly blonde hair. He was not at King's Cross either.

Nor was Kerissa's cousin, Meredith. Meredith was only a couple of months older than Kerissa. She also had blonde curly hair. The two might have passed for sisters, if the two had ever been seen together. But Meredith was not to associate with her cousin. It would be poor for her reputation as a child model. She had pageants to win, and could not be seen with the likes of a dirty child like Kerissa.

No, Kerissa had come to King's Cross alone. It had been a long trip for her. The flight over alone was quite scary. But someone from the ministry greeted her once she arrived, and even showed her the house where her parents had lived. But after that, she was on her own, and had to find her own way. Soon she would be getting on the train to Hogwarts. But... she couldn't quite figure out where Platform Nine and Three Quarters was.

The ticket did not explain just how to get on to the platform. Nor did she have anyone who could explain what she needed to do. She wished to herself that she had asked the ministry official she had met, but it had slipped her mind. She was too busy being overwhelmed by being in a country that was altogether new for her. She looked around for people who had trouble blending in with muggles. But it seemed that most of them had to already be on the platform.

After a few minutes of waiting, what appeared to be a wizarding family came strolling along. The father was a tall platinum blonde man, with gray eyes. His wife was almost as tall as he was, and had long wavy brown hair. The young boy had a pale pointed face, and eyes just like his father's. Kerissa could tell that they weren't a muggle family, judging by the contents of the trolley that the boy was pushing. On the very top, was something that few if any muggles ever carried with them - an owl.

"Excuse me," asked Kerissa as politely as she could.

"Yes? How can I help you?" the father asked. "Oh... you must be a mu...ggle born." His son had given him a cold look.

"I am NOT a muggle born." Kerissa said indignantly, her hair turning fiery red as she said it. The boy's eyes grew wide as he saw her hair change colors. "You're a..." the boy started to say. "Metamorphmagus."

A metamorphmagus was someone who could change their appearance at will. It was not a type of magic that could be learned. While some wizards could disguise themselves properly, none could do it as well as a metamorphmagus. And one has to be born a metamorphmagi.

"I'm sorry," the father said. "I just assumed..."

"Well don't assume!" Kerissa said, her hair turning back to blonde.

"Where are your parents, little girl?" the mother asked. Kerissas face turned sad, and her hair blue, as she explained that her parents had been killed.

"Well..." the father said. "It's Scorpius's first time too. We can tell you how to get onto the platform. All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop, and don't be afraid that you'll crash into it."

"Alright, then you three can go ahead of me." Kerissa said wisely, unsure if she could trust the man.

"Very well." Scorpius's father said, understanding that his family didn't exactly look like the most trustworthy family. Scorpius pushed his trolley around and started at the barrier. He made a full run, and as he got to the barrier, he disappeared. Scorpius's parents made their run next, and disappeared at the barrier as well. Kerissa was quite relieved. She felt bad about not trusting them though, and decided that she would apologize once she was on the other side.

Kerissa started walking, at a fast pace, towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Soon her fast pace turned into a run... she kept running until she had realized that she must be on the other side. She opened her eyes, and was amazed by what she saw.

A red steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. Most of them were busy staring at a black haired man, and his red-headed wife. He had the most peculiar scar on his forehead, in the shape of a lightning bolt. But Kerissa paid no attention to the man. She was far more interested in the sign over head that read "Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock."

The first few carriages were already packed with students, many hanging out the window shouting goodbyes to their families. Kerissa pushed her cart onto the train, and started looking for an empty seat. She passed a boy with a pointed face, who was getting a lecture from his father.

"Don't forget to take your medicine, Gideon!" she heard the man say.

"Come on River, Serge!" a boy with ruffled red hair said. "Let's grab a seat away from the future Slytherins!"

Kerissa pushed on through the crowd until she found an empty compartment toward the end of the train. She managed to get her trunks into the compartment, and then sat down.

Kerissa watched as Scorpius, the boy who's father helped her out earlier, passed her compartment. She saw a few more boys pass, before the train took off. Houses began flashing past the window. Kerissa was excited, she would finally get to see the place that her parents learned Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The door of the compartment soon slid open, and Scorpius entered. He seemed a bit nervous.

"Do you mind... if I sit with you?" he asked politely. "Everywhere else is full."

Kerissa shook her head, and Scorpius took a seat across from her. She then gasped, remembering that she didn't get to apologize to his father. "I'm sorry about what happened at the barrier!"

"Don't worry about it. My father nearly said something very rude to you." he assured her.

Scorpius began looking through his luggage, and took a bag of candy out. "Would you like some?"

"No thanks." Kerissa said, shaking her head. With all of the excitement, candy was the very last thing that she needed right now.

It wasn't long before the compartment door slid open again, and a boy with scruffy black hair, and a girl with red hair stepped in.

"Oh..." the boy said, looking right at Scorpius. "We shouldn't be here!"

"Nonsense, Albus!" said the red haired boy from earlier. "It's the compartment for Future Slytherins! See, it's Scorpius Malfoy! You know what house he's going to be in! You might as well start sucking up to him now!"

He then turned to the girl. "Bet she's going to be in Slytherin too! So you'll be right at home!"

"Stop it, James!" the red haired girl shouted. "Don't let it bother you, Albus."

"And what, may I ask, is wrong with Slytherin?" asked Scorpius, annoyed.

"What? Your father never showed you his dark mark did he?" asked James. "All of Slytherin were followers of You-Know-Who!"

"Not a single dark wizard that didn't come from that house!" his friend, River added quickly.

"You-know-who?" asked Kerissa, unsure of who they were talking about.

"Don't know who You-Know-Who is? And you're going to be in Slytherin? Oh this is great! You must be a muggle-born! Just wait until Mr. Malfoy hears that his son was sitting with a muggle born! Hey Serge, I'll bet you a sickle she leaves Hogwarts before the end of the year!"

"I AM NOT A MUGGLEBORN!" Kerissa shouted as loudly as she could, her hair turning fiery red once more.

"Definitely a Slytherin. Prejudice against Muggle Borns!" said River, shaking his head.

"She's a metamorphmagus!" said the red headed girl with excitement, ignoring what River had said. "Just like Teddy!"

"Teddy?" asked Kerissa, having never met another metamorphmagus before.

"He's a family friend! And you are nothing like him! He's not prejudice against Muggle Borns!" James said. "Come on River, Serge. Let's leave the future Slytherins to themselves."

The boy left with his two friends, and Albus aimed to go with them. But the girl stopped him.

"It's nice to meet you! I'm Rose Weasley!"

"Kerissa Balfour!"

"And this is Albus Potter." Rose said, motioning to her cousin.

Rose sat next to Kerissa, and motioned Albus to sit next to Scorpius. Albus hesitated, before reluctantly sitting next to Scorpius.

"It's not true you know..." Scorpius said. "What they said about Slytherin being the only house at Hogwarts that had supporters of you-know-who."

"Just who is you-know-who?" Kerissa asked, still being left in the dark.

"He was a dark wizard. Worst of the worst. I'm surprised you haven't heard of him. Especially since you aren't a muggle born."

"Well..." Kerissa said. "My parents died when I was young. I was raised in the states, you know."

"That makes sense!" Rose said, wanting to befriend Kerissa.

"But I'm sure... even witches and wizards in the states know about you-know-who..." Scorpius added.

Kerissa shook her head. "I wasn't raised by witches and wizards. My... aunt and uncle raised me. My aunt's a muggle, and my uncle is a Squib."

"Rough luck, then." said Albus. He had heard the horror stories about muggle families. They were none to pleasant, especially toward wizard-folk. "I bet they kept you locked up in a cupboard or something."

To Albus's surprise however, Kerissa shook her head. "No, it's nothing that bad. I have my own bedroom. It's in the attic, but it's not too bad. I have to do a lot of chores though... but I can use magic to do those!"

Rose gasped. "But underage magic isn't allowed!"

"It is in the states!" Kerissa explained. "Well... so long as you've graduated from Wizarding Preschool, and have signed permission to use magic at home. And my Aunt and Uncle were more than happy to give me permission."

"So why didn't you go to the Salem Witch's Institute?" Rose asked. "My mum told me all about it. She said it's a great school. Though it's no Hogwarts..."

"Because my mom and dad went to Hogwarts." Kerissa said sadly. "I'm hoping I learn more about them."

"What house do you want to be sorted into?" Rose asked.

"I'm not sure." Kerissa said. "I guess whichever house my parents were in. What about you all?"

"Anywhere but Slytherin!" said Albus quickly. Scorpius scoffed. "There's nothing wrong with Slytherin! Or any of the other houses for that matter!"

"Slytherin is full of dark wizards!" said Albus.

"And I suppose there were no dark wizards in Gryffindor?" asked Scorpius. "What about Peter Pettigrew? I've heard stories about him that would make your skin crawl!"

"Who?" asked Rose. She wasn't quite sure of the name, but she knew she had heard it before.

"The man who betrayed your grandparents." said Scorpius matter-of-factly. "Sorted into Gryffindor. And I read that Albus Dumbledore ran with the likes of Gellard Grindelwald."

"That's just lies!" said Rose, agitated. "My mum says that Rita Skeeter is a horrible woman."

"Besides..." said Albus. "You may can name some bad students from other houses, but not as many as you can name from Slytherin! And you can at least name some good ones from other houses!"

"What about Horace Slughorn? and Regulus Black? I hear he was one of the first to betray the dark lord! Were they nobodies?" Scorpius asked, steaming.

As much as Albus wanted to retort that Horace Slughorn had done some terrible things, he thought better of it. Nor could he think of anything bad to say about Regulus, other than that he was a death eater at one time.

"I guess... Slytherin may not be all that bad." Albus said. "I mean when you put it that way."

"Of course not!" Scorpius said. "Slytherin has a bad reputation, but if everyone was a bad egg from that house, don't you think they'd get rid of it?"

"All of the founders were friends, you know." Kerissa said. "I read it in _History of Hogwarts - Uncensored_."

"Oh, so you've read my mum's book?" Rose asked. "She made me read it. Twice. And the four founders were friends. She's always told me that it's not the house that shapes you. It's you that shape the house."

That made Albus feel a little better about where he might be sorted. It had also made Kerissa feel a bit better. Though she didn't know which house her parents had been sorted into, she knew that she could give whatever house she was sorted into, her own special touch.

The four spent a bit of time discussing Hogwarts, and what they wanted to learn about most. Kerissa had wanted to learn about potions. It was the one class that was left out in preschool. She had read about them in books, but never had she actually brewed one. Scorpius was most interested in Defense against the dark arts. He had heard many stories about dark wizards, and wanted to be able to defend himself against them. Rose wanted to learn about everything. She even wanted to take Wand Lore, a class that Albus had absolutely no interest in. But he did share an interest in Defense Against the Dark Arts much like Scorpius, but charms were another subject he took great interest in. As they discussed their futures at Hogwarts, the train continued it's journey.

At half past noon, there was a great clattering outside the corridor, and a smiling, cute blonde girl asked "Would you like neething from zee cart?"

Albus and Scorpius jumped up immediately, but Rose and Kerissa remained seated. Rose refused to buy anything from the cart on principle, and Kerissa had no wizard money on her.

"Veela!" Rose scoffed as the pretty girl pushed the cart towards the next compartment. "I can't believe they let _them_ work here."

"Oh, don't be prejudice, Rose!" said Albus.

"Yes. That's _very_ prejudice." Scorpius added.

The two boys had come back with more sweets than either of them could handle. They had everything from Amazing Animal Crackers that made animal sounds when you took a bite out of them, to Zombie Bars that would come alive after you eat them.

"We learned about Veela in preschool." Kerissa said. "They say that a man is unable to control himself when they see one."

"Mum says that men are that way with all women. So I don't see much of a difference." Rose told her. "But you can't deny that there's just something... wrong with them."

Albus sighed, as he munched on a newly opened chocolate frog. "Going to defend the Veela again?" asked Rose. "They don't need a knight in shining armor you know!"

"Aunt Fleur is part Veela, you know!" Albus said to her. "But that's not what I'm sighing about. It's just... dad."

"What about him?" Kerissa asked.

"Chocolate Frog Cards." he explained. "I've got about five of him. And three of Aunt Hermione, and Uncle Ron. I would throw them out, but I think it'd hurt their feelings. Do they sell Chocolate Frogs in the States?"

Kerissa shook her head. "I don't think so."

Albus then launched into a long explanation about Frog Cards, and who was on them. From Adelbert Amos, the first wizard to apparate to the moon, to Zane Zimmerman creator of Lava in a jar.

Before Albus could explain just what a wizard would need with lava in a jar, the boy that Kerissa passed earlier burst the door open. "Excuse me..." he said, obviously flustered. "Do you think that I could buy a chocolate frog off of one of you? The trolley's already gone, and I was asleep when it passed. I had to take my medicine, and it tastes terrible! I'd like to get the taste out of my mouth, you see..."

Albus looked at Rose, and then picked up the Chocolate Frog nearest him and tossed it to the boy. "You can have it." he said.

"Oh, no. I couldn't take it from you." the boy said. "Here..." he tossed Albus the money, but Albus wouldn't take it.

"Go on, have it. It's not like you're asking for much. I'm Albus by the way. Albus Potter, and this is my cousin Rose." he explained. "Oh, and Scorpius Malfoy, and Kerissa Balfour." he went on, nodding in each persons direction as he said their name.

"Thanks!" The boy said. "And I'm Gideon. Gideon Lloyd-George."

"Nice to meet you!" Rose said.

"Well, I better get going." Gideon said. "Thanks again for the Chocolate Frog! Oh wait... here's the card!"

Gideon handed the card to Albus, who immediately recognized who was on it. "Keep that too." Albus said. "I already have Agrippa anyway."

"Alright. If you're sure then..." Gideon said, before leaving. "Thanks again!"

Gideon had left almost as fast as he had come. Albus went back to discussing Lava in a jar, and the time seemed to fly past. Before long, a pretty young lady with long black hair came into their carriage wearing robes.

"I was asked by a prefect to notify everybody on this side of the train to get into their school robes." she told them. Kerissa had noticed that her gaze was fixed on her for a moment. But the girl looked away immediately, and went back to her compartment. She couldn't help but wonder who the girl was, and why she had stared at her.

The four went and changed into their robes, and then came back to the compartment. "Almost there," Albus said. "Can't wait to get this over with."

A voice soon echoed through the train. "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes'. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

The four took deep breaths, and then joined the crowd in the corridor.

The train slowed down, and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a small, dark platform. Soon they saw a lamp come bobbing over their heads.

"Firs' years! Firs years over here! Ello' there Albus." the voice boomed.

A large man, with a large beard was carrying a lantern their way.

"Hello, Hagrid." Albus said.

"Do you know him?" Kerissa asked.

Albus nodded. "He's the care of magical creatures teacher, and head of house for Gryffindor!"

"C'mon follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step now! Firs' years follow me! C'mon don't be shy!"

They followed Hagrid down a narrow path. The night sky was dark. None of the first years said a word.

"Yeh'll be seein' Hogwarts in a sec." Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus a little bit further."

All of the first years looked up at the magnificent castle with many turrets and towers. Kerissa was amazed at how the castle looked. Never in her wildest dreams could have have imagined this was what Hogwarts looked like.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid yelled out, pointing to the boats that were sitting in the water by the lake shore. Kerissa, Albus, Rose, and Scorpius all got into the same boat.

"That all of yeh now?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then - FORWARD!"

Nobody said a word on the trip across the lake. Perhaps because they were all too shocked by the sight of the castle up ahead.

"Heads down!" Hagrid yelled to everybody, as the first boats reached the ivy-covered face of the cliff. The ivy had concealed the wide opening, and behind it was a dark tunnel. It had seemed to most of the first years, that they were now under the castle. But it wasn't long before they reached an underground harbor. Everybody piled out, climbing over the rocks and pebbles.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge oak door.

"Everyone here? Right, then." Hagrid said. He then raised his large fist, and knocked on the castle door.


	2. The Strange Sorting Ceremony

**Chapter 2: The Strange Sorting Ceremony**

The door swung open, and a tall blonde-haired witch in solid black robes stood there. Though she looked kind, she also looked like someone that you wouldn't dare cross.

"Here are the first' years, Professor Atlee!" said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. The large entrance hall was adorned with flaming torches on the sides of each wall. It had a very old fashioned look to it. The ceiling above was too high for any of the first years to be able to see.

They followed Professor Atlee across the flagged stone floor. Voices were whispering quietly, and it was obvious that the rest of the school was already inside. Professor Atlee lead the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in rather closer together than they normally would have.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor Atlee. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting Ceremony is very important, and has been part of Hogwarts Tradition since the founders time. Your house will be like your Family while you are here. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in the dormitory of your house, and spend free time in your House common room.

"The four houses are, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each named for one of the founders of Hogwarts. Each house has it's own noble history, and each has produced amazing witches and wizards. Such as Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter from Gryffindor. Tilly Toke, and Quentin Oakes from Hufflepuff. Jonathan Fairbanks and our very own Professor Filius Flitwick from Ravenclaw. And Marcus Harvey, and Horace Slughorn from Slytherin. While at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours."

"The sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I'll return when we're ready for you, alright? And please - wait quietly."

She left the chamber. Albus was shaking. Kerissa seemed calm though.

"How do they sort us into Houses?" Kerissa asked. "The book didn't have much information on sorting."

"Dad said something about a hat." said Albus. "But James said something about a blast-ended skrewt."

"A blast-ended what?" shrieked Kerissa.

Albus shrugged. "I don't know, but apparently they're not very friendly."

Everybody seemed nervous. It wasn't in any book how the sorting at Hogwarts worked. Some of the first years began to tremble. What would they have to do? And in front of the entire school? Would they have to recite a spell? Or battle a dragon? Or something worse? Some students were having second thoughts about going to Hogwarts.

Before any of them could change their minds, Professor Atlee had returned.

"Form a line." Professor Atlee told them. "And follow me."

The nervous first years walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

As everyone entered the Great Hall, Professor Atlee silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first year students. On top of the stool she placed a pointed wizard's hat. The hat was patched, and in places had burn makes on it. It was, however, clean.

Don't let there be a blast-ended skrewt in there, thought Albus.

For a few seconds, there was total silence. Then... the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:

"A long long time ago

In this very place

I belonged to a Wizard

who was a credit to his race

His name was Godric Gryffindor,

He was the bravest man alive

He and three friends built this school

so the wizard world would thrive

But among the four friends,

I assure you this is true

there was dissent on who to teach

They weren't sure what to do

Soon the answer came,

the wise wizards had decided

the best thing to do for Hogwarts

was to have it be divided

Gryffindor took the brave,

feeling they were the best

Ravenclaw took the witty

and put them to the test

Slytherin took the ambitious

Knowing they would succeed

And Hufflepuff took the rest

Feeling it's what they'd need

But no matter how great

the four wizards were

They couldn't live forever

Of this, they were sure

So Gryffindor took off his hat

and put some brains inside

Then told the other wizards

The hat would now decide!

Now that I, that sorting hat

have finish my little song

put me on your little head

and I'll say where you belong!"

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished it's song. It then bowed to each of the four tables, before becoming still again.

Professor Atlee now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat, and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Archer, Adrian."

A brown-haired boy rushed to the stool, put on the hat, and sat down. After a moment -

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat.

The table on the far left clapped hard, and James Potter motioned him to come and sit down.

"Atherton, Dwight!"

"Ravenclaw!" shouted the hat this time, and Dwight ran to the table second from the left.

"Baker, Travis!" was the next name called, and he went to Hufflepuff. Now every house except one had a new student.

"Balfour, Kerissa." Professor Atlee said, as Kerissa stumbled to the stool. As she sat down, one of the professors at the high table began watching intently. The hat took a full minute before announcing "SLYTHERIN!" and Kerissa went to the table on the far right.

Albus took a deep breath. He had just shared a compartment with her on the Hogwarts Express. She didn't seem so bad, did she?

"Barnes, Sherry!" went to Hufflepuff, and "Barton, Dawn." to Gryffindor, before the second Slytherin, "Batty, Giles!" was sorted.

The names were flying past. "Bennett, Michael" to Hufflepuff, "Booth, Kyle" to Ravenclaw, and then "Bourne, Liam" to Slytherin. Followed by "Brockelhurst, Anderew" to Ravenclaw, "Carr, Jonathan" to Hufflepuff, and "Clarke, Geoffery" to Gryffindor.

No two students in a row had been placed into the same house up to that point, as Albus silently hoped that the student in front of him would be Slytherin. But then again... Kerissa didn't seem so bad.

"Clegg, Norton" went to Hufflepuff, and then "Collier", "Collins", "Corbett", and "Cresswell" were sorted into Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw again.

Professor Atlee called out more names, finally getting to the D's, like "Denton, Jack", "Dewhurst, Foxworth" and "Duckett, Rachel". Followed by "Dunne, Lindsey". None of which were put into Slytherin.

"Ellis, Jenny", "Fenton, Donovan" and "Fitzpatrick, Ciaran" all went to Hufflepuff, who's table by now was fairly crowded with all of the new first years.

Next a brown-haired girl, "Hazell, Lucille!" stepped up to the stool. She didn't look nervous at all, and the hat quickly shouted "SLYTHERIN!"

"Hewitt, Jennica" went to Ravenclaw, before "Hunt, David" was sorted into Gryffindor. Then "Kaye, Walter" was sorted into Slytherin, followed by "Larkin, Bryton" was went to Gryffindor.

Gideon Lloyd-George, the boy from the train was up after Byrton. The hat took a long time to decide where to put him, before shouting "SLYTHERIN!" but instead of running over to the table, he ran out the door. the fact that no professor ran after him seemed to mean that he had somewhere to be. Perhaps it had to do with his medicine, thought Albus.

The next four, including Scorpius Malfoy were also sorted into Slytherin, which was also gaining a rather large gathering compared to the other houses. Albus silently hoped that Slytherin would be full before he was sorted.

But when "Middleton" ..., "Moon" ..., "Owens" ..., "Park" and "Patridge" were none sorted into Slytherin, Albus began to worry again.

"Pinder, Kelly!" Professor Atlee announced, and a pretty young lady went up to the stool. The hat seemed to be taking forever on Kelly. Or at least it had seemed that way to Albus. He knew that he was next. And when it finally shouted "Slytherin!" he was relieved.

"Potter, Albus!" Professor Atlee called, and Albus was shaking. There were a few murmurs in the crowd. But Albus couldn't tell what any of them were saying. He was far too nervous to notice.

Professor Atlee put the hat on Albus's head, and it dropped over his eyes. Before he knew it, he was looking at the black inside of the hat.

"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult, very difficult... Chivalrous to a fault. A great mind. Plenty of talent. A thirst to prove yourself. And great amounts of loyalty. Yes... you would be great in any of the houses. But where to put you."

Albus gripped the edges of the stool. He tried to remember what his father had told him. About how he chose not to be in Slytherin. But did he really not want to be in Slytherin? The Slytherins that he had met on the train had seemed nice enough. Even Scorpius Malfoy. Would it really be so bad to go there? And according to his father... the bravest man he ever knew had been in Slytherin.

"You have doubts, eh?" the small voice said. "In Slytherin, you could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that."

Greatness, Albus thought. He had a lot to live up to, with a brother like James who was already in his second year.

"Well, - better be SLYTHERIN!"

Albus heard that hat shout the last word to the entire hall. He then took off the hat, and looked over to the Gryffindor Table. James was laughing at him. He was actually in Slytherin. But he could be great...! The hat said so itself!

He walked nervously over to the Slytherin table, where Peyton Pratt the Prefect got up and shook his hand, and gave him a cold look. And in the moment, Albus felt that he had made a terrible mistake.

He could see the High Table properly now. At one end of the table sat Hagrid, who was looking kind of down. Hagrid gave Albus a weak smile, and Albus returned with an even weaker one. Was it too late to change houses?

There in the center of the High Table, was the Headmaster - Filius Flitwick. He had to sit on a pile of books to match up to the rest of the teachers there. Levi Alexandertorte, the head of Hufflepuff sat on the right side of Professor Flitwick. While the head of his new house, Professor Pardayle sat on the other side of the headmaster.

The next twelve students that were sorted, including "Price, Kat" ..., "Simmonite, Bilbo" ..., and "Tyler, Jeane" were none sorted into Slytherin. Was he the last one? But then "Wakefield, Henry" was sorted into Slytherin as well, and came and sat next to him.

Rose was next, and he was sure that she would be put into Gryffindor. The house that he desired to be in more than anything at that moment.

The hat seemed to take a while on Rose, and Albus wondered what it was saying to her. Was it telling her that she'd be great in Slytherin? Did the hat give that advice to all students? Trying to get them into the dark arts? Well, except for Muggle-borns, he figured. The hat... was evil! No... The hat wasn't evil. It was cursed by Lord Voldemort, Albus decided. That was the only explanation.

When the hat shouted "SLYTHERIN!" Albus was surprised. Rose came and sat across from him, and whispered "I told it to put me here! I wanted to be with you!"

Peyton shook Rose's hand as "Whittaker, Bryant" was made a Ravenclaw. Professor Atlee then rolled up her scroll, and took the sorting hat away.

Professor Flitwick stood up on the books that he had previously been sitting on. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened as wide as they could.

"Welcome!" he said in a squeaky voice. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. But we don't always get to do what we would like. And I'm sure that you all would like to eat more than I would like to speak, so let the banquet begin!"

He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Albus and Rose giggled.

"With wit like his, I wonder why he wasn't in Slytherin!" Peyton said proudly.

It seemed that even the Slytherins respected Professor Flitwick, which was much to Albus's relief.

"We're all in the same house!" said Kerissa, excited. "At least I won't be alone here. I was afraid I would be!"

Food appeared magically on the plates in front of them, and everybody began to eat. Albus could hear James talking on the other side of the hall.

"I can't believe it! My own brother, a dark wizard!" said James in a taunting tone.

"Better watch out James, " said River. "He might start speaking Parseltongue!"

"That's quite enough. Potter, Jordan." said a Gryffindor prefect, scolding them. "If we're going to win the house cup for a third year in a row, you two are going to have to straighten up!"

Back at the Slytherin table, Albus didn't quite feel like eating. His brother would never let him live this down. He'd have to live with this mistake for the rest of his life.

"What's Parseltongue?" whispered Kerissa to Albus. "I've never heard of that."

"Snake language." answered Albus. "It allows a wizard to speak to snakes."

"Oh I've spoken to snakes before!" Kerissa told him. "In the states they call it Serpentongue."

Scorpius, Rose, and Albus all three gasped. Kerissa hadn't seemed like a bad person. But, she was a parselmouth. She was in Slytherin. All the sings were pointing against her. She even had an apparent dislike for Muggle-Borns.

The feast continued, and eventually Gideon joined the Slytherin table. Peyton didn't shake his hand though. And Albus quickly found out why.

"First mudblood in Slytherin in a long time." Albus heard one of the other students say. "That Lloyd-George was sorted into the wrong house, I'm sure. He belongs in Hufflepuff."

"As do Potter, and Malfoy. Not to mention the Balfour Girl. And Rose Weasely? I bet they tricked the sorting hat into putting them here. They should be expelled for that, they should!"

Albus felt as low as he had ever felt. Slytherin weren't his friends. How he yearned to be over in Gryffindor. To be patted on the back by Hagrid, and hear him say "Welcome to Gryffindor! Ye'll be just like yer father, you will! Jus wait an' see!"

The Bloody Baron soon came swooping past the Slytherin table, bellowing about Slytherin having won nothing in over twenty years, and how he's ashamed to be associated with such a group of losers. Most of the older Slytherins seemed to ignore him. But some of the younger students, perhaps because they were afraid of him, didn't show that they weren't paying him any attention.

The feast continued, and once the desserts disappeared, Professor Flitwick got to his feet and the hall fell silent.

"Ahem - just a few more words now that we have all eaten! I have a few start-of-term notices to give you."

"First years should note that the Dark Forest is forbidden to all students, without being accompanied by a teacher!"

"I have also been asked by our caretaker, Mr. Hall, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridor."

"Quidditch Trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing should see their team Captain."

"I'm also afraid I must announce... that after this year, I will be leaving Hogwarts. But do not be sad! Though I am leaving, Hogwarts will be in very good hands. I assure you of that!"

"And now, bed time! Off you go! And remember, to have a wonderful year!"

There were some murmurs from older students about Flitwick retiring, as some of the first years were led to their common rooms by a prefect. Albus and his new friends were to follow Peyton Pratt. They followed him out of the great hall, and up the marble staircase. Albus was growing tired now, as he wondered how late it was.

Peyton lead them down to the dungeons, as Albus looked up to see James and his friends heading for Gryffindor tower.

A Slytherin fourth year came running up to Peyton, and whispered something in his ear. Albus, nor anyone else, could hear what he was saying. The fourth year ran off. "Sorry, I have to go." said Peyton. "The password is Basilisk. I'm sure you can find your way from here."

Peyton went on ahead of everyone else. Albus lead the way towards the common room. He didn't like the idea of being alone. But he was sure that Peyton had some important prefect duty to attend to. At the end of the corridor, was a large brick wall. Suddenly it spoke in a deep voice. "Password?" Albus cleared his throat, and then clearly as possible he said "Basilisk."

But the brick wall did not grant him passage. He tired again. "Basilisk." as clearly as he could possibly say. But the brick wall would not give him passage still.

"Great." said Scorpius. "Wait til' my father hears about this!"

"Do you think... he gave us the wrong password on purpose, Al?" asked Rose.

Albus nodded. It was the only explanation. He hadn't said the password wrong. Nor had he misremembered it.

"He'll lose his prefect duties for this!" said Rose. "Oh, I hope he does."

The five students huddled around the brick wall, hoping that someone would come and open it for them. Or that Peyton would come back for them. Or that perhaps a teacher would pass by, and let them in. But after what had seemed like an hour of waiting, it never happened.

Finally, a girl in Slytherin robes, with long blonde hair came along. "You five shouldn't be out of bed!" she told them.

"Err... Sorry!" said Albus. "But I think we were given the wrong password."

The girl laughed. "Wrong password? First years aren't given the password on the first night. Prefects are."

Albus nodded. "But our prefect... Peyton.

The girl shook her head. "Peyton Pratt, huh? Gave you guys the wrong password and then skived off? Sounds like him alright. I bet he wants you in Slytherin about as much as he wants me there. Which is to say, not at all. I'll let Professor Pardayle know. I'm sorry I didn't come by earlier. Sometimes I wonder if I'm in the wrong house. I don't know how you guys ended up here. But I feel sorry for you. Slytherin is a big mess. Anyway, the password is - Polyjuice."

The door opened, and finally Albus and his friends were able to go inside. The lighting in the common room in Slytherin was green, just like their house colors.

"My name is Piper by the way." she said. "Piper Holly. The girls go down that side, and the boys go down that side. Have a good night!"

Rose and Kerissa went down to the girls dormitories with Piper, while Albus, Scorpius, and Gideon went down to the boys side. At the bottom of the spiral staircase they found their beds at last: eight four-posters hung with forest green, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and got into one of the empty beds.

As Albus drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help but imagine that his brother was up in Gryffindor Tower joking with his friends about him being sorted into Slytherin. Then he couldn't help but imagine Lord Voldemort, who's face he could not clearly see as he did not know what it looked like, welcoming him into Slytherin.

The year had gotten off to a bad start.


	3. A Lesson in Defense

**Chapter 3: A Lesson in Defense**

Albus quickly discovered that classes weren't as easy as reading from a book, and paying attention to a lecture. There were also the practical portions of class. Those practical portions were typically his favorite portions, but he would often find himself unable to perform even the simplest of spells. He was unsure that he was cut out to be a wizard. But he was assured that all first years had a little trouble. Even his father.

Charms was taught by Professor Atlee. She was the head of Ravenclaw house, and still seemed as nice as the day that Albus had met her. She had gotten a few laughs from the class, when on the first day she and her desk did the tango. Their first lesson was on Alohamora - a simple lock breaking charm. Only Kerissa was able to get her lock open on the first try. It took Rose three tries, and Albus himself four. On the other side of the room, Gideon was on what seemed like his fifteenth try. Scorpius also appeared to be having difficulties, but he didn't dare ask for help. At the end of class, they were all assigned practice locks, so that by the next class they would be able to perform the charm on their first try. Albus knew that this spell would come in handy, so he would practice with it as much as he could.

Albus had double Herbology with Ravenclaw, and they worked in Greenhouse One, learning about Devil's Snare. A friend of Albus's father, Professor Longbottom, was the instructor for herbology. Albus found Professor Longbottom's lectures to be a little boring. Albus could not fathom how this was the famous Professor Longbottom, a man that his father respected very much. The most interesting thing that Albus had learned from the class, was that the previous Herbology Professor was looking for a Lotus Tree in North Africa. Albus had wished that he could be on an adventure like the former professor was now, though if it had much to do with herbology Albus figured that it could not have been too exciting. Though Devil's Snare seemed exciting enough - it had been used in several assassination attempts over the years - learning to identify it was near sleep-inducing. Albus thought that Herbology must be the most boring subject - and that nobody could make it interesting.

But nothing could top History of Magic at being boring. It was, Albus realized, the most boring thing in the world. And after just one class with Professor Binns, Albus felt bad that he had thought Professor Longbottom as boring. Quite the contrary. Compared to Professor Binns, Professor Longbottom was bursting with excitement. Binns had taught back when his parents were still in school. For that matter, judging from his teaching style, Albus figured that he was a teacher back when Salazar Slytherin was still learning magic. Professor Binns's lectures could drive anyone to the point of insanity. Albus had heard from his parents that Professor Binns was boring - perhaps that most boring teacher alive. Of course, alive would be a stretch, as Professor Binns was a ghost. Which was probably the most exciting thing about him. Goblin Rebellions was the subject of the first class. And though they were extremely bloody, the way that Professor Binns taught made them seem like no more than two neighbors having a row over spilled tea. All of the Slytherins, except for Kerissa and Rose, fell asleep during the class. And Albus could swear that even Kerissa was starting to drift off to sleep as the professor droned on.

Transfigurations was the class that Albus found that he liked the most. When he first entered the classroom, he noticed a raven with a single magenta-colored feather perched on the professors desk. He expected the Raven to be transfigured into something, but what he did not expect was for it to transform into Professor Vareth - who had become the most recent registered Anamagi. She was a beautiful young witch, with long magenta hair. Her teal robes looked different from the robes worn by other staff members. They were shorter, and more modern. Albus instantly had a crush on her. And he wasn't alone. All of the boys in his class found Professor Vareth absolutely bewitching. And it wasn't just Slytherin - even Gryffindor students were getting detention with her on purpose just so they could spend more time with her. Their first lesson was a simple one that Albus, Kerissa, and Rose all managed to perform on their first try - turning a needle into a match. When Henry Wakefield finally managed to turn his needle into a match, it caught on fire. Luckily, Professor Vareth was able to transfigure a turtle into a watering can, and put the fire out before it spread any further. Henry looked kind of disappointed that he didn't burn anything down, and Albus suspected that he had done it on purpose.

Potions was a lot more fun than his father had told him. Professor De Montmorency gave them each a taste of Euphoria, before she took roll call. Albus was intrigued by the possibilities of potions, and he wasn't the only one. Even Gideon seemed very interested in the subject, paying attention to every word De Montmorency said. However, the class was disappointed that they would not start brewing their own potions until just before Halloween. Albus was relieved by this information however, as mixing potions was more complicated than most of the other subjects. Potions went better for Slytherin than any of the other subjects had, as Albus earned his first five points for Slytherin by correctly identifying the purpose of a bezoar. They had started learning about antidotes to the most common poisons - knowledge, Albus figured, that might come in handy if one were to want to become an Auror.

Wednesday Nights, they had Astronomy with Professor Sinistra. In their first lesson, Gideon was notably absent. Professor Sinistra explained that Gideon had detention with Hagrid, and was unable to come to class. This struck Albus as odd, as detentions weren't normally allowed to interfere with classes. but Professor Sinistra didn't seem to mind. Instead, she instructed them to begin working on their star charts. Though Albus's thoughts were elsewhere, he got more done on his start chart than anyone else - even Kerissa. Professor Sinistra was so impressed with his work, that she even asked him to show Gideon his chart, so that he could catch up with the rest of the class. When the first years returned to their dorms, Albus went to bed, and watched for Gideon to come in. Albus waited for what seemed like forever, before finally falling asleep. Gideon never came back to the dorms that night.

Finally, on Friday, they had Double Defense Against the Dark Arts with Gryffindor. A class that Albus was not looking forward to. The head of his house was teaching it. And if the students were any indication - the head of house wasn't going to be any fun to study under. On top of that, it was a class with Gryffindor. The house that he longed to be in. It was also the house that his brother was in. And Albus was sure that James was spreading lies about him whenever he could.

At lunch on Friday, the mail came by owl as usual. Kerissa and Gideon never got anything in the mail. Rose got a howler from her father, which she promptly opened. She knew that it'd be trouble if she waited. "HOW COULD YOU? SLYTHERIN? NOT IN MY FAMILY!" was all it said, before shredding itself up. Another letter was attached, with an apology from her mother.

Scorpius got candies from his parents, which he shared with Kerissa, Rose, and Gideon. Albus himself got two letters. The first was from his parents.

Dear Al,

Don't worry about being sorted into Slytherin.

Your mother and I are proud of you no matter what!

James may tease you, but I think he's just jealous.

Slytherin isn't evil - after all, the world is not

sorted into good people, and death eaters. If it

were that simple, my job would be much easier.

It is not our house that define us, but our decisions.

The stars do not decide what happens - only we do.

Be good, and above all else, take care of yourself.

-Love, Mom and Dad.

And the second was from the head of Gryffindor, and a friend of his fathers, Hagrid.

Albus,

I know you get Friday afternoons off, so how would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around

three? I want to hear all about your first week.

Don't worry too much about being in Slytherin'.

Can't all of them be bad if you're in there.

Send an answer back with Ragnhild.

-Hagrid

Albus answered both of his letters. First addressing his parents, telling them that he thought the Sorting Hat might be cursed. As both he and rose were in Slytherin. He also told them about Peyton Pratt the Prefect, who had given them the fake password on the first day. He then wrote Hagrid, saying that he would be happy to come and see him, and then sent Ragnhild off before rushing off to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Professor Pardayle started the lesson by taking roll call, as all of the other teachers except for Professor Sinistra had done. He seemed to pause when he got to Albus's name. Something that worried Albus greatly.

Albus could hear Robert Hastings and Bryton Larkin from Gryffindor whispering about him. Most likely things that James had told them.

"I will be teaching you, Defense against the Dark Arts!" Pardayle began.

"We'll need that! With Dark Wizards like Albus Potter in our year." one boy said.

Pardayle looked in his direction. "Five points from Gryffindor, and detention, Mr. Hunt." Hunt didn't look too happy after that.

In class, they were learning about how to identify types of trolls.

"Can anyone tell me," Professor Pardayle asked. "how you tell the different types of trolls apart? Yes, Balfour?"

Kerissa cleared her throat. "By color. Mountain Trolls are gray. River Trolls are purple. And Forest Trolls are green."

Pardayle beamed at her. "Correct! Ten points to Slytherin!"

The lesson continued going well for Slytherin, as another five points were added when Rose answered a question about Security Trolls correctly. As class went on, Albus began to feel more comfortable about Professor Pardayle. He seemed nothing like the strict disciplinarian that his brother had described him as. Nor did he seem to be the least bit evil. When he spoke of the dark arts, he spoke very negatively of them. It had seemed as if Albus misjudged him. Perhaps Slytherin wasn't so bad... after all? At the end of class, Professor Pardayle asked them for a roll of parchment on Troll's, due the next week. Then, to his surprise, Professor Pardayle asked to see Albus after class.

Once the class cleared of the rest of the students, Pardayle approached Albus.

"I hear that you've been having a little trouble, Mr. Potter," Pardayle said. "like the first day of school, when Pratt deserted you and your friends."

Albus's face turned pink. It was embarrassing to be left waiting outside of his own common room, on the first day of school. It wasn't something that he wanted to talk about, or even think about. He had wished that Professor Pardayle hadn't brought it up.

"Well, if any student gives you or any of your fellow students any more trouble, please see me, and I will do what I can. I know that Slytherin does not have the best reputation, but I assure you that I'm just here to help."

"Thanks." said Albus, half-heartedly.

"Right then, you may go Potter."

Albus pushed the thoughts of Peyton Pratt out of his head for the moment. He had to admit that Professor Pardayle did not seem so bad. But still, he felt that he'd be more comfortable talking to Hagrid about Peyton, than Professor Pardayle. Albus headed in the direction of Hagrid's hut, hoping that Hagrid would lend an ear to his woes.

When he knocked on the door, Hagrid quickly answered and let Albus in.

"Ello' there Albus!" said Hagrid, now beaming at him. "I've been expecting yeh. Make yerselv at home.'

Albus took a seat at the table, as Hagrid poured some tea for the both of them.

"I hear yeh have had some trouble in Slytherin'."

Albus was quiet. It was hard to talk about, even to Hagrid. It was made harder to talk about, because Hagrid was the head of the house that he wanted to be in - Gryffindor. His brother was in Gryffindor. His father and even Grandfather had been in Gryffindor during their time at Hogwarts. He was the only one who hadn't been in the house known for it's bravery and heroism. He hadn't even been sorted into Hufflepuff known for it's loyalty, or Ravenclaw known for it's wisdom. No, it had to be Slytherin.

"Now' Slytherin ain' all bad now. There were a few good ones ere' and there. Gideon don't seem too bad. But I don' reckon you should be hangin' out with the likes of Malfoy and Balfour."

"Kerissa?" asked Albus. He knew that the Malfoy family had a reputation. Did Kerissa's family have a similar reputation?

"I ear' from James that she don't like muggle-borns."

Albus sighed. He couldn't disagree with that. Anytime that Kerissa had been asked if she were a muggle born, she would scream that she wasn't.

"But she doesn't seem so bad, Hagrid. She seems nice to me. And she's giving Rose a run for her money at being the top of the class."

"Jus' be careful, Albus." said Hagrid. "You don't want ter be mixed up with the wrong crowd."

"I know, Hagrid." Albus reassured him.

"So tell me about the trouble yeh've been havin'"

Albus shook his head. "It's... nothing, really. Just a prefect who thinks that I, nor any of my friends, belong in Slytherin. I'm not so sure that he's wrong."

Hagrid smiled. This was not the same fake smile he was wearing at the start of term banquet. This smile was a genuine one. One that reassured Albus greatly.

"Now don't yeh be worrying' about what some Slytherin Prefect thinks. The whole lot of em' don't have much sense if yeh ask me."

Albus had to agree. Piper seemed nice, but Peyton was a real jerk. And most of his friends were no better. But Albus was more worried about his own friends. Two of which Hagrid seemed to consider 'the wrong crowd'.

The rest of tea, Albus discussed how much he liked Hogwarts. He told Hagrid about his favorite teacher, Professor Vareth. About how he and Rose were adjusting to Slytherin. And about how Professor Pardayle tried to reassure him of his place in Slytherin. A place he was not sure that he really wanted.

When Albus left for Slytherin Dungeon, he had a lot on his mind. Was he mixing up with the wrong crowd? It didn't seem like he could really make friends with Gryffindors. Not with his brother there spreading lies about him. Nor did Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff seem good choices to make friends. Most of Hufflepuff wanted nothing to do with Slytherin. And Ravenclaw, though more accepting, was a little out of Albus's league he felt. Did Kerissa really hate Muggle-borns, or was that just James trying to plant ideas into Hagrid's head? Or was James right, and had been all along? Was Slytherin... really evil?


	4. Quidditch Tryouts

**Chapter 4: Quidditch Tryouts**

After tea with Hagrid, Albus had a lot to think about. Were Scorpius and Kerissa really bad people? Or were they like him, and in a house they didn't belong in. But Albus didn't have much time to think about it, as a new class was starting - Flying, with Hufflepuffs. And Albus wanted to learn to fly more than anything else.

At three thirty in the afternoon, Albus went to Flying Lessons with the rest of the Slytherins. When they arrived on the field, there were three boys from Hufflepuff already there, and thirty broomsticks. The boys were talking among themselves.

"Oh, yes. I've flown a broom before you know. My Great Grandfather was a beater for the Caerphilly Catapults. It's in the blood, you see? I know they don't usually let first years on the team, but oh yes I'm sure they'll let ol' Foxworth Dewhurst on. I'm the best there is you see?" said the tallest boy.

"The Catapults?" asked the stout boy next to him. "Why Foxy, I never knew!"

"Oh yes, I don't like to brag about it." said Foxy.

"Your father was Welsh? That IS a surprise."

"O'viously you don't know him very well." the shortest boy said. "You can' take one good look at im' and tell e's Welsh."

"Oh, shut it Bilbo." said Fox.

"He's got a point though." said the stout one. "You DO look Welsh. I always said that Fox Dewhurst looked welsh. But I never said anything. My mum always taught me that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

The three Hufflepuff boys were so into their conversation, that they didn't notice when Madam Bell came in. She was fairly young, with long brown hair. Albus new that Madam Bell had played with his father on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team.

"Alright class. Today we're going to be learning to fly. Let's start with the basics. Everyone. Stand next to a broomstick."

Albus picked the nearest broom. It was old and tattered. It looked like it had been there since the days of his father, maybe even longer.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," instructed Madam Bell at the front, "and say 'Up!'"

Albus called "Up!" and his broom jumped into his hand at once, and it was one of the few that had. Kerissa had managed to get her broom into her hand on the first try as well, but Rose's broom was as stationary as ever. Scorpius hadn't had any more luck than Rose with his own broom. And the three boys from Hufflepuff that had gotten to class early were struggling even more than Rose.

Madam Bell next showed them all the proper way to mount a broomstick, so that they wouldn't fall off the end. She then walked up and down the rows correcting everyones grip. Albus and Kerissa were both told that they seemed like naturals, and Albus was quite proud of that. When Madam Bell told Fox that he was doing it all wrong, Albus suppressed a giggle. All that boasting, Albus figured, must have been for show. He half-wondered if Fox's Great Grandfather really played for the Catapults, or if he had made that up as well.

"Now when I blow the whistle, you kick off from the ground hard," said Madam Bell. "Keep your broom steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forwards slightly. Ready? One.. Two... Three."

The whistle blew, and everyone kicked off according to Madam Bell's instructions. Albus felt a rush of adrenaline flowing through him. He was hovering above the ground on a broomstick! He couldn't believe it. This had been the moment he was waiting for. He looked to see how the other students were doing, before finally landing back on the ground. Albus was pleased with how well his first lesson went. Unlike most of the other first years, his first ride wasn't bumpy at all. In fact, it felt quite natural.

The next couple of days went by pretty quickly, and with each new flying lesson Albus felt more and more at home on a broomstick. He had started neglecting some of his homework to spend more time learning to fly. He lost five points for Slytherin for being unable to name the purpose of "Pewter Oil". But his lessons had paid off, and by the end of the week, he felt comfortable enough to go down to the Quidditch Pitch with the rest of the first years, to try out for the Slytherin Team. It was a tradition in most houses for first years to try out, but rarely did any of them make it. Kerissa, Rose, and Scorpius came along as well.

Owen Keegan, a tall black haired boy who was in his fifth year, was the captain of the Slytherin team. He looked very intimidating, and Albus was sure that he'd tell the first years to leave. However, he was surprised when Owen asked everyone to show him their flying skills. He said that he wanted a winning team this year, as well as the next two years, and that he'd give everyone a chance to show that they could fly.

The first years were up first. Any that couldn't fly would immediately be eliminated. That would be most of them, as few of them had enough practice like Albus had. Or even Kerissa for that matter. Both of them had flown around the Quidditch Pitch like they had been flying all of their lives. And in the end, Keegan decided that it was good enough to warrant a tryout.

"What position will you be playing for?" asked Albus.

Kerissa smiled. "Chaser. It's what I played in Little League. What about you?"

"Seeker. My dad played that position, and my brother plays it too. I figure that it might be the position I'm best at as well."

Kerissa smiled at him, and wished him luck. He'd need it if he were going to make it on to the house team.

After the seventh years flew their rounds, it was time to play for the first position. The Beaters.

Albus and Kerissa watched several boys try out for the position of Beater in the stands with the other Slytherins. Only two beaters stood out among them all - Turner and Barnes. Both were given positions on the team, and both were sixth year students. According to Piper, who had joined the first years in the stands, Turner and Barnes had been on the team the three previous years as well.

Next up were the chasers. There would only be two chasers chosen, as Owen was one himself. A few of the chasers that tried out before Kerissa stood out. Lestrange, Marlowe, and Winchester were all three very good. Lestrange had managed to miss only two goals against the stand-in Keeper. Marlowe missed three, but made one of the more difficult shots. And Winchester made all but two of his shots as well. Kerissa looked nervous. She was the last Chaser to try out. She was also the only girl trying out for the team. Some of the Slytherin students, lead by Peyton Pratt, started booing her as she made her way to the pitch. But Piper shouted words of encouragement, and Scorpius and Rose soon followed. The words of her friends seemed to cheer her up enough to focus on her tryout.

After Kerissa made her first goal, some of the booing stopped. She wasn't as bad as they thought she would be. Then she made her second shot, and the boos quieted even more. After making the third, fourth, and fifth shot, things were looking very good for Kerissa. After eight shots, she had not missed once, and Owen was smiling. Even some of the older Slytherin students started cheering her on. Though Peyton Pratt was not one of them. After her tenth shot, she hadn't missed a single one, and she was immediately named to the team - the first girl to be on the Slytherin Quidditch team ever, not to mention one of the few first years to play. Albus clapped hard for her, but he secretly felt that this drastically lowered his chances for being on the team. The other chaser, Winchester, was named to the team as well.

"Congratulations!" said Piper to Kerissa. "Nice to see a girl on the team for once!" Kerissa smiled before heading back to help with the Keeper tryouts.

Owen had asked her to shoot against the practice keepers. She had done such a good job in tryouts, that he had wondered if anyone could block her shots.

The Keeper tryouts seemed to last forever. They were the last tryouts before a seeker would be chosen. This gave Albus too much time to get nervous. Two first years on a team. That was unfounded. Surely Owen would tell him not to bother. And the booing. Peyton Pratt and his friends would surely boo him. Was it really worth it to tryout?

Kerissa kept scoring against whatever Keeper was thrown up against her. The way she continued to score had impressed even some of Peyton's friends. Finally, the last of them came through, and Donahue managed to block three of Kerissa's shots. He had been by far the best Keeper to tryout for Slytherin, and he was quickly named to the team. Now all that was left was the seeker.

Albus was nervous. Piper had told him all about their last seeker. A seventh year student named Cunningham. Cunningham was planning on trying out for the major leagues after he got out of Hogwarts. Though he had only caught the snitch four times in his four years playing, he was considered a great seeker. Albus walked up to the pitch with the rest of those trying out for the position. It would be no easy task beating Cunningham. Or any of the others, for that matter. But he was going to give it his best.

Owen explained how the seeker tryouts would go. He told them that whoever caught the snitch would be the new seeker. Albus looked to be going up against six other students. They were all older than he was. And much more experienced. Albus was sure that Cunningham was his stiffest competition, however. Beating him would require more than just good flying.

Owen released the Snitch, and after ten minutes the would-be seekers were told to find it. Albus took a deep breath. He'd just have to try his hardest. No shame in failing. Not many first years made the Quidditch team. To have two on the same team would be a shock to everyone. He kept telling himself that, knowing that it wouldn't be too big of a deal if he didn't make it this year. there'd always be next year.

After flying around for five minutes, Cunningham made a quick dive for the snitch. Two of the other players - Burgess and Underhill - dived after him. But he pulled up at the last minute, and the two of them hit the ground. He had quickly eliminated some of the competition with a simple feint. But Albus hadn't' take his eyes off the field for a second. He had to see the snitch for himself. He wouldn't dive for it until he did. He knew that Cunningham would be using such tactics. Especially as talented of a flier as he was.

After another ten minutes, Albus decided to try a maneuver of his own to get rid of some of the competition. He flew around the arena in a circle, then lowered his altitude. He looked up for any sign of the snitch, and then dove upward. One player followed his lead. Albus then braked,, and turned around. The other player hadn't managed to break in time, and fell to the ground himself. Three down, three to go. Albus felt that he was lucky that his first attempt at a feint had worked. It was a risky move, but at least it had paid off.

Then, he saw it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the snitch fly right behind Cunningham. Albus knew that he couldn't make a dive for it now, not with Cunningham so close. He knew Cunningham would immediately notice what he was going for. He had been closely watching the other players just as Albus had been.

Albus pretended to be looking elsewhere on the field, while keeping a close eye on the snitch. It had zoomed past Cunningham now, and was flying closer and closer to Albus. He knew that this was his chance. His only chance. He went in for a feint, luring the other seeker to the general area. While diving, Albus kept his eye on the snitch. Once the other seeker was in position, Albus dove towards the real snitch. Cunningham had spotted him, as had the seeker that had been following him. All three players were diving for the snitch. But Cunningham was wedged behind the other seeker, slowing him down. Albus leaned forward, and casually grabbed the snitch. He then landed gracefully met by applause from Keegan and Piper. Peyton and his friends didn't look too happy though. Nor did Cunningham. "no way a first year flies that good." Albus heard him say as he ran towards the rest of the team.

"Congratulations, Potter!" Keegan said. "looks like Slytherin will have two first years this year!"

Though Keegan and Piper seemed happy to have Albus and Kerissa on the team, the other Slytherins weren't so happy. Including teammates Turner and Barnes. But the team was set. And nobody could argue that even with two first years, that this looked to be the best Slytherin team in years.

"I'll write to Professor Pardayle to get the two of you permission to have a broom. You'll have to get one, or else use one of the old school brooms. I"d recommend something from the Nimbus series. Not too expensive, and good enough for a Hogwarts Quidditch game." Keegan told them. "I have an X16 myself."

As they walked back to the castle with Keegan, they ran into the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Slytherin must be desperate." said James. "Two first years? Not enough muggle-born haters to be on the team?"

Rickwell, the Gryffindor captain laughed. "Looks like we'll be winning the Quidditch cup for the third year in a row!"

"We'll see about that!" snipped Keegan. "We've got a winning team this year. Especially if you're underestimating our first years."

The team headed back to the Slytherin dungeons together. For the first time, Albus felt like he belonged to Slytherin. Keegan and Piper were both very nice people. It seemed that, though they were rare, there were some nice Slytherins.

Albus finished up his report on Pewter Oil for Professor Longbottom, and then headed for bed. Still weighing heavy on his mind was what James had said. "Muggle-born Haters" he called Slytherin. Were Kerissa and Scorpius as prejudiced as James thought? Or were they, like Keegan and Piper, good people? He wanted to find out for himself. But he wasn't sure how.


	5. The Mark of Lady Sinister

**Chapter 5: The Mark of Lady Sinister**

As the weeks came and went, Halloween approached. Albus had sent a letter to his parents asking them to send him a broomstick, along with a permission slip from Professor Pardayle. He knew that his parents wouldn't object to him being on the Quidditch Team his first year. In fact, he figured that they would be quite proud of him.

But it had looked as if Kerissa would have to use one of the school brooms. Her Aunt and Uncle had already sent their reply - a stiff no. "It's too expensive! You aren't worth it." they had replied. Though Kerissa had played in little league, the broomsticks had been provided by the pre-school. Not purchased by her guardians.

The day before Halloween, Albus finally received his broom by Owl Parcel. It came attached with a note.

Congratulations, Albus!

So you've made the Quidditch team first year!

We're very proud of you! Not many first

years make the quidditch team! This may

not be the most expensive broom on

the market, but it's the same that your

brother has - a Nimbus X17! We hope

that both you and James do well in your

matches this year.

-Love, Mom and Dad

"Wow, a Nimbus X17!" said Scorpius. "That's a great broom right there, it is! I've been wanting my dad to get me one since they came out!'

Albus wanted to give it a try immediately. But Kerissa had received a letter as well. One that wasn't from her Aunt and Uncle. It was from someone else. Kerissa didn't know who though. It read -

Dear, Kerissa

Congratulations on making the team!

I know that your mother and father

would be proud! Your father played

chaser for Ravenclaw, you know! To

make up for all of the birthdays and

Christmases that I've missed... I've

decided to give my Grand Niece a broom!

But I can't give it to you in the great

hall. I've asked one of your fellow

students to bring the broom to you

in the common room. I hope you like

it. And I hope you can forgive this

old man for not coming to see you

sooner.

-Your Great Uncle Alestair

Kerissa was in shock over the letter she had received. She was getting a broom from a Great Uncle that she didn't even know existed. A great uncle, she had hoped, that would let her live with him.

"So, what are we waiting for?" asked Scorpius. "Let's go to the common room, so we can see her new broom! Maybe she got an X17 too!"

The four rushed down to the Slytherin Dungeons. Scorpius seemed almost as excited as Kerissa, and shouted "Gillyweed!" at the brick wall, which swung open immediately. The common room was empty except for Piper, who was smiling widely.

"Looks like you got a new broom!" said Piper.

"Did you meet my Great Uncle?" asked Kerissa, hoping to hear more about him.

But Piper shook her head. "Professor Pardayle told me that a family member sent this to you. I was then asked to come here during my free period. So why don't you open it? Let's see what kind it is!"

Kerissa slowly opened her parcel. It was the first time she had received a real present from anyone before. Her Aunt and Uncle once in a while gave her cheap gifts of clothes - usually hand-me-downs from Meridith. After all, her dear cousin couldn't be seen wearing the same outfit more than three times. And it was certainly never anything as exciting as this broom. When she had tore off all the paper, she read the solid gold lettering on the handle.

**Supernova**

"A Supernova?" Scorpius and Albus shouted at the same time.

"Yes, I believe that it's the best broom in the world." said Piper with a smile.

"Used by Professional Quidditch players everywhere!" Kerissa finished, wide eyed. She couldn't believe that she had been given such a wonderful broom.

"Replaced the Firebolt 3 a year ago." said Albus. "That's one heck of a broom you've got there."

"You know... you two just got your brooms. Why not go down to the Quidditch pitch, and give them a try?"

Piper accompanied the four of them to the Quidditch Pitch, and it wasn't long before Gideon joined in as well. They all wanted to watch Albus and Kerissa try out their new brooms.

Albus soon found that his broom braked much better than the school brooms. It would allow him to perform more fancy maneuvers in the first match against Gryffindor. His broom could match one hundred fifty miles per hour, the same as the original firebolt. He was too satisfied with having his own broom to feel even slightly jealous about Kerissa having a Supernova, the broom that could go two hundred miles per hour and had a mounting charm that would catch the rider if they fell off.

Kerissa let everyone give her broom a new try. Rose was the first to try. The mounting charm was clearly working, because Rose not no more than ten feet in the air before falling off, and she managed to land right on the broom. Scorpius was next, who took it for a lap around the Quidditch Pitch. He never quite reached maximum speed, but he did well for a first year. Gideon was after Scorpius, and he was even worse than Rose. He fell off before the broom even got off the ground, and decided that riding wasn't for him. Piper gave it a quick go, flying at maximum speed around the pitch. She decided that she would have to get herself one of those after she graduates and saves up enough money. Albus was the last to give it a try. The broom handled like a dream. It was by far the best broom ever made. The breaking was far better than the Firebolt 3, which his mother had owned and allowed him to try when he was younger. As he brought the broom in for landing, it had gotten dark.

Piper lead the group back inside. It had been a fun afternoon, and a nice distraction for all of them. It had also given Albus and Kerissa a good amount of flying practice before their match against Gryffindor.

"Tomorrow's Halloween." said Piper, as they walked back to the castle. "Third years and up will be allowed to visit Hogsmeade this weekend. I'll bring you all some candy from honeydukes."

"Candy!" Gideon gasped. "How could I forget? I - I have to go take my medicine."

"I can go get it for you." said Piper.

But Gideon shook his head, and ran off to get his medication from Professor De Montmorency. Albus couldn't remember him taking his medicine very often. He had figured that Gideon forgot to take it an awful lot. But it made him wonder just what was wrong with him. He seemed perfectly healthy, from what Albus could tell. But before he could give it much more thought, the group had reached the common rooms, where Owen was waiting for them.

"Wow, a Supernova!" he said, excitedly. "No way Gryffindor will beat us now!"

Even the other Slytherins seemed a bit happier with Kerissa now. They even seemed a bit happier with Albus. Both had gotten brooms that were above standard. And in Slytherin, that was a cause for celebration. A couple of them held a party in Kerissa's honor that lasted late into the night. Far past their usual bedtimes. When Albus had finally went to bed, he could hear Gideon coming back in. He still couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with him.

The next day, classes went by fast. It was Halloween, and most professors refused to give out homework for once. Albus was grateful for that, because he could use all the Quidditch practice that he could get.

In Charms, Professor Atlee had the Slytherins working on Wingardium Leviosa. "Swish, and flick!" she said in an unnaturally cheery tone. Kerissa and Rose had both gotten their feather to float to the ceiling, but all Albus could manage was to get it over his head. Still this was better luck that Gideon was having, who's feather exploded as soon as he chanted the spell.

Professor Pardayle had them doing a report on Erklings in Defense Against the Dark Arts. They weren't difficult creatures to deal with, but Albus still thought they sounded a bit scary. Elfish creatures with a taste for children, the very thought sent shivers down his spine. He had wondered how many children had been eaten by Erklings in the last couple of years. According to his textbook, only three.

In Potions, they began working on their first potion - Vitamix Potion. They were all using Copper Cauldrons supplied by the school to brew the potion. They each mixed wormwood, Asphodel root, and Monkshood in the cauldron, and stirred it counterclockwise three times. The potion was teal in color, though Albus's looked a bit different from Gideon's, who was sitting next to him. In fact, to Albus's surprise, Professor DeMontmorency gave Gideon his first five points for having the best potion in the class. Also to his surprise, Kerissa was having a lot of trouble. Before class ended, they all took their potions, and felt a bit energized because of it.

After potions, the feast had come at last. The great hall was decorated with floating pumpkins, and colors of black and orange. The Hogwarts Ghosts were flittering in and out as the enchanted candles flickered slightly, providing an appropriately spooky atmosphere.

During the feast, all that Albus and Kerissa could talk about was the upcoming Quidditch match. "If we lose, we're going to be the laughing stock of the school!" said Albus. He was worried about it, and with good reason. No team in the history of Hogwarts had ever had two first years on the team. "We just have to try our best." Kerissa assured him, but it wasn't much help.

Rose and Gideon were discussing the Vitamix potion, arguing over the proper amount of Wolfsbane to use, while Scorpius was practicing Wingardium Leviosa on his plate (he managed success on his fifth attempt, but then his plate fell and broke.)

As the feast grew to a close, Albus spotted James and River laughing at something together. He couldn't help but feel it was something about him. As much of a prankster as James was, Albus had often thought that he belonged in Slytherin instead.

The feast finally ended, and the Hogwarts Ghosts left through the walls they came in through, and the students started heading back to their common rooms.

It was on the way to the Slytherin Dungeons that a group of students had stopped, and began murmuring over some odd graffiti on the wall. Kerissa and Albus pushed their way towards the wall to get a better look. It was a red circle, with the letters "LS" sideways and a cross written over the letters. It appeared to be some student's idea of a joke, but Kerissa had turned white after seeing it. Even her hair had gone from blonde to as white as snow.

"What's this?" asked Albus curiously.

Soon more students formed around the mark. Color had not yet returned to Kerissa's hair. There were murmurs all around on what the mark could be.

"That's the mark of the Heir of Hufflepuff!" said James Potter loudly, so that any Slytherins could hear him. "Legend has it that Helga Hufflepuff left the school with a Cupboard of Secrets. Inside was a giant badger that would kill all the pure bloods in the school! Only the Heir of Hufflepuff could let it loose!"

"SHUT UP!" Kerissa shouted, clearly upset. Her hair and face had both turned red.

"What's wrong, Muggleborn hater? Afraid you might be next?"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Kerissa shouted louder than before. She then cast the Sardine Hex on him.

Sardines began flying out of his noes, as he screamed in pain. This had caught the attention of the head of Gryffindor House, Hagrid.

"What's goin' on ere'?" asked Hagrid.

"She cursed me!" James shouted, as more sardines began to fall from his nose.

"What?" shouted Hagrid in a low voice. "Twenty points from Slytherin, and ye'll be servin' detention with me tomorrow Ms. Balfour!"

"But Hagrid -" Albus protested.

"There's jus no excuse for using a hex in the hallway. Now go on, all of yeh! Get to bed!"

All the students cleared out of the hall. Kerissa's hair still had a bit of white in it. As they headed back to the Slytherin Dungeon, Albus looked back to the mark once more. Hagrid was examining it. He could hear Hagrid proclaim "Now who could ave' done that?" Kerissa was still upset, even as she headed down to the girls dormitories. Albus wished he could cheer her up, but there was nothing he could do. He wasn't even sure what had upset her so badly. James was just joking. She had to lighten up a little, and learn not to take his brother so seriously. Advice, he realized, that he himself should take to heart as well.

As he drifted off the sleep, the mark on the wall was still on his mind. Hagrid didn't recognize it. Nor did any of the other students. But it seemed as if Kerissa had. Did it have something to do with an American witch? Or was there something more?


	6. Kerissa's Tale

**Chapter 6: Kerissa's Tale**

Kerissa's detention with Hagrid was scheduled after Flying lessons on Wednesday. Albus was worried that Hagrid would think even less of her after this. She didn't seem like a bad person at all, he thought. If only Hagrid could see that.

Because of detention, she missed out on Quidditch practice. But it didn't seem like she would need it - with her amazing broom, and incredible skills, she looked like a natural. Albus however was glad to get the practice in before Saturday. They started off with some basic flying drills, before moving on to some new formations that Owen wanted them to learn before the weekend. He also heavily emphasized that the Slytherin Quidditch team would be following the rules this year, and that penalties would not be the cause of any more losses.

After practice, before heading down to the dungeons, Albus decided that he would check in on Kerissa. Maybe Hagrid would discover that she wasn't so bad after all. But he figured that was wishful thinking. He headed towards Hagrid's hut, where Kerissa and Hagrid were standing outside.

"What yeh need to do next, is get there here snakes out of y garden." said Hagrid.

Kerissa nodded, and ran over to the garden. Hagrid approached Albus.

"Ello' Albus." said Hagrid. "Fraid' you're not supposed to be ere'"

"Sorry, Hagrid. I just wanted to see about you and -"

But before he could finish, he saw Kerissa in the garden speaking a weird language. As she spoke, the snakes cleared out of the garden. It was a most peculiar sight.

"Blimey, Albus! Yeh didn't tell me she were a parselmouth!" said Hagrid. "I never knew a good parselmouth, I tell yeh!"

"My dad was a parselmouth." said Albus, finding himself trying to defend his friend once more. Something that he found himself doing quite often.

"Aye. But he got it from you-know-who." Hagrid told him. "So, whatdya tell em', to come back after yeh left?"

Kerissa shook her head. "I wouldn't do that. I just explained to them that they were bothering the pumpkins, and that they needed to find a new home."

"Sure yeh did..." said Hagrid in disbelief.

It seemed as if Hagrid wasn't sold on Kerissa still. In fact, things seemed worse than ever. Albus didn't want to upset Hagrid, but he did not want to lose Kerissa as a friend either.

"Well, I guess yeh can't do anything with the snakes right now. SO we'll go into my hut, and finish your detention there. Yeh can come too, Albus."

The three of them entered the hut. Kerissa and Albus both sat in one of the chairs in front of the table. Hagrid put on a pot of tea, ans Kerissa and Albus stared at each other.

"I don't think your friend likes me very much." she whispered to him.

He couldn't help but agree. It didn't help that Kerissa was a Parselmouth either. There just didn't seem to be anything he could do to help.

Kerissa started working on her lines (I will not hex in the hallways), as a half-bird half-horse creature stuck it's head in the window. At first it had only caught Albus's attention. But as Kerissa finished another line, she too noticed the creature.

As she saw it, she gasped. "Excuse me... Professor. Is - is that a Hippogriff?"

"Of course it is!" said Hagrid proudly, ignoring the fact that Kerissa had stopped writing her lines for a moment. "I'm surprised yeh knew what a Hippogriff were."

Kerissa half-way smiled. "I read about it in my mum's copy of _The Monster Book of Monsters."_

Hagrid returned the half-smile. This was a positive sign for Albus. "Yer mum must be a smart witch, she must."

Kerissa's smile faded away. She went back to writing lines, and took a deep breath, before asking the question that was weighing on her mind. "Is - is it true, Professor? Was that the mark of the Heir of Hufflepuff?"

"Course ' not." said Hagrid. "James were just pulling yer leg. Yeh can't let things like that get to yeh. He was jus' kidding around. James is a good boy, a bit mischievous. But so were is' dad."

Kerissa looked down without saying a word. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. This was the first time Albus had really seen her cry.

"Hagrid?" Albus asked. "Do you... know what that symbol was then?"

"No, I can't say I do. I reckon it were just some prank."

Kerissa's eyes were still watering, as she continued writing her lines.

Albus took a deep breath before saying anything. He wasn't sure if his hypothesis was correct or not. But he thought he had figured out just why the symbol had scared Kerissa so much.

"I... I think that Kerissa knows what that symbol means."

"Oh? Does she now?" Hagrid asked. "Well, have at ye. What is it?"

Kerissa looked down. Tears were still running down her face as she spoke. "Whoever made that mark - they killed my parents."

"WHAT?" Hagrid shouted loudly enough to scare the Hippogriff away. "Ain't no way..."

The room had grown eerily quiet. Nobody was sure what to say. Not even Hagrid, who had dealt with tragic tales of parental deaths before. His own, not the least of them.

Kerissa couldn't show her face, as she broke the silence. She kept it facing the floor as she spoke. Her hair was now a color that Albus had never seen it before - Blue.

"My parents were pure blood wizards. I don't know much about them. I just know... that when I was two years old a dark witch known as Lady Sinister and her followers came to our house. They were looking for something... but I don't know what. They killed my parents. But for some reason... they left me alone."

"Goodness..." Hagrid said. "Don't tell me. Yer mother were... January Balfour?"

Kerissa nodded.

"You know the name, Hagrid?" Albus asked.

Hagrid nodded this time. "Weren't many witches like she were. Graduated a year before the defeat of you-know-who, she did. One of the only Slytherin students to fight against him. She and Kurtis did a great service to wizardkind, they did."

Albus was shocked. It was the first time that he had ever heard anything about Kerissa's parents.

"Supposedly..." Hagrid continued. "Someone known as the Red Witch killed January and Kurtis Balfour. But... what does that symbol have to do with er'?"

Kerissa took a deep breath. "When I first arrived in England, a man from the ministry of magic came to me. He was a bit stuffy, but nice. He brought me to the house where my parents lived, and told me the story of what happened to them. My uncle had told me before... of course. But he told me parts that I hadn't heard before. Then... he showed me the mark she left. The same mark that we saw in the halls."

"When I saw that mark - I wondered if I was next. And now... it appears that I am."

Tears were pouring down Kerissa's face. A single tear drop was falling from Hagrid's eyes as well. He was clearly saddened by Kerissa's story.

"I'm sorry, Kerissa." said Albus. "I never knew."

Kerissa wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She was clearly terrified that this Lady Sinister had come to Hogwarts. Her blue hair had now turned the same shade of white that it was when she first saw the mark in the hallway. She was unable to control her emotions.

Albus held back the question he had in his mind for a moment. One that might have explained everything. He wanted Kerissa to regain her composure before he asked it. When her hair finally went back to blonde, and she went back to writing lines, he felt safe asking it.

"Kerissa - do you think that the Red Witch is a muggleborn?"

He felt that if the red witch were a muggleborn, it might explain her dislike for them. But her answered surprised him.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. Muggleborns aren't..."

"Muggleborns can do a lot, they can!" said Hagrid. "jus cause they're muggleborn don't mean they can't do great magic. Why-"

But before Hagrid could finish, Kerissa interrupted. "I didn't mean that they couldn't. It's just that the man - he seemed convinced that Lady Sinister was working with a group of Pure Blood Wizards. He said that this particular group of wizards hated muggle borns. He said that they were called... Death Eaters."

"Death Eaters?" Albus shouted rather loudly. "Why... they're... they're the worst kind of wizard there is!"

"A symbol of the death eaters, in Hogwarts? Blimey, Albus! This ain' no good. I best be telling Professor Flitwick about this. Yeh can both go back to your rooms." Hagrid told them.

It was indeed troublesome news. The Death Eaters that had evaded his father for so long... and now they have a symbol in Hogwarts? Was it someone in their own house? Someone from Slytherin? Was Kerissa safe in Slytherin house? Was anyone? It was hard to trust anybody in his house.

As Kerissa and Albus headed back to the Slytherin dorms, Albus had to ask the question that was nagging him on for some time now.

"Kerissa... do you hate Muggleborns?"

Kerissa looked at him confused. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Well.. James said... and your reaction to being called a muggleborn."

"But I'm not a muggleborn." she said.

"I know that. But why does it upset you to be called one?"

"Because I'm not one." said Kerissa. "I'm a pureblood."

Albus was still as confused as ever. But they had reached the Slytherin dungeons, so the conversation would have to wait for another time. "Gillyweed." Albus said, and the brick wall swung open for them and they both went inside.

Albus looked around the dormroom. Peyton Pratt... Albus couldn't remember him at the Halloween Dinner. Maybe he did it? Or Cunningham. He was a seventh year student, he could have easily been recruited by the death eaters. They both looked suspicious. And then there was Scorpius. Albus had heard stories about Malfoy senior that made his hair stand on his head.

Albus shook the thought, and headed back down to his room to work on his report for History of Magic. Professor Binns had assigned extra homework to make up for what he didn't assign on Halloween. But he wasn't able to concentrate very well. The mark weighed more and more on his mind. To the point where he was thinking more about it, than he was about Goblin Rebellions. So he put his quill down, and stared emptily at the wall. He wasn't able tow rite with this on his mind. It was just troubling him too much. So he had to do something about it. Something that he didn't expect to be doing - he was going to see Professor Pardayle.

On the way to Pardayle's room, Albus found himself noticing some of his fellow Slytherins giving him weird looks. Was it all in his imagination? Or did they all know something he didn't? He finally reached the Professor's office, and knocked on the door. "Yes, come in." the professor instructed after Albus's second knock.

"Ahh. Albus Potter. How can I help you?"

"Um sir..." Albus began, not sure how to put it.

"Yes? Is someone giving our new seeker trouble?"

"No, sir. It's just... the mark of graffiti on the wall."

"Yes, most curious isn't it? Most curious indeed. But I assure you that it is going to be cleaned up as soon as possible."

Albus shook his head. "That's not it, Professor. Have... have you ever heard of a dark witch known as Lady Sinister?"

Professor Pardayle gasped when hearing the name. It was obvious that he had heard of it. "Now... that's a name I haven't heard in a very long time."

"What do you know about her, sir?" Albus asked.

The professor cleared his throat, as he began to tell the story.

"Shortly after the defeat of the Dark Lord, his followers went into hiding. There were many of them, and nobody knew who all of them were. The Dark Lord had done well to keep their identities secret. But without a leader... they were helpless. Without a leader, it would only be time before the Aurors caught them all."

"But about nine years ago, a Dark Witch known as Lady Sinister began gathering former Death Eaters together in order to start up her own army. But for the longest time, there appeared to be no substance to the rumors. There was no record of a Lady Sinister anywhere. The ministry began to think that it was nothing but a hoax. Until one night..."

"Erwin Stanhope was on his way home from his job at the International Magical Office of Law, when he heard January Balfour screaming for help. He rushed to see what the matter was, but when he got there... January and Kurtis Balfour were already dead."

"Naturally, he called the Aurors. And it was quickly determined that the cause of death was none other than one of the three unforgivable curses - the killing curse."

"There were of course many theories around as to who did it. The official statement was that a Lone Death Eater killed the Balfours. Revenge, of course. But there were many in the Auror Department, including your father, that felt that this was a sign that Lady Sinister was in fact - real."

"This was... because the alleged killer left the infant Kerissa Balfour alive. Officially, Erwin Stanhope had saved her. Received a medal for it and all. But the fact of the matter remains, that on the ceiling above Kerissa's crib - was a strange mark that nobody had ever seen before. One that was obviously left by the killer."

"Are you saying, my dear boy... that this is the same mark as the one found in Hogwarts?"

Albus nodded. "Yes, sir. Kerissa said..."

"Ahh. Yes. Ms. Balfour. She is one of the few to have seen the symbol. The ministry did a very good job of covering it up. And so far, everything has paid off. After all, until now there have been no additional symbols. But if what you are saying is true, then this is troubling indeed."

Albus sat still for a moment. This was a lot to take in. He had already heard some of the story from Hagrid and Kerissa. But this was more than they had told him. More than they had known. "Sir... do you think it's safe for Kerissa to be here?"

Professor Pardayle nodded slightly. "Not even a former death eater would dare try to kill someone in these halls ever again. But I do thank you for bringing this to my attention. Don't let it worry you any further. The situation is under control. Now, you'll have to excuse me."

Professor Pardayle left, without looking at Albus again. His words were somewhat encouraging. But still, Albus couldn't help but feel that Kerissa was in danger.

Albus headed back to the Slytherin dungeons. Professor Pardayle's words weighed heavily on him. 'Not even a former death eater would dare try to kill someone in these halls ever again.' Just what did he mean by that?

"Ello' there Albus!" came Hagrid's friendly voice, as Albus turned to go to the Slytherin dungeons.

"Oh, hello Hagrid." Albus said.

"I ad' a talk with Professor Flitwick about the situation with the mark. He said it ain't nutthin to worry about."

Albus gave Hagrid a fake smile. Even coming from Hagrid, Albus wasn't reassured.

"I guess James were wrong about Ms. Balfour hating muggleborns." Hagrid said.

Albus smiled for real this time. "You think so?"

Hagrid nodded.

"But Hagrid... why did she get upset about being called a muggleborn then?"

"Well, don't ye see?" Hagrid asked. "Her parents were pureblood wizards. And because she never knew em', she is proud ter be a pure blood wizard like they were."

Albus was still confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well... if her parents were blast ended skrewts, she'd be proud ter be one. And if anyone suggested she weren't a blast ended skrewt, she'd be right quick to correct em'."

Albus thought he understood it now. It wasn't that Kerissa hated Muggleborns. It was that being a pureblood was one of the few connections she still had with her parents. And it was one that she was not willing to give up easily.

"Thanks, Hagrid." Albus said.

"Now, ye best be gettin' back to your common room." Hagrid told him. "Don't you worry one bit. Professor Flitwick is working hard on finding who left that there mark."

Albus still wasn't entirely reassured. But there didn't appear to be anything else he could do at the moment. He bid Hagrid farewell, and headed back to finish his report on Goblin Rebellions.

Back in his room, he could still only stare at the piece of parchment lying in front of him. Then... it came to him. Something that he could do for Kerissa. Another real smile appeared on his face, as he picked up his quill. He was going to write to his father.


	7. The Seeker and the Snitch

**Chapter 7: The Seeker and the Snitch**

A couple of days had passed without any word from his father. Albus was beginning to worry that he'd never hear back from him. But he didn't have much time to think about it, as it was the day of the Quidditch Match with Gryffindor.

"I'm going to do it!" Albus could hear James say to his friends, as he walked to the library. "I'm going to ask Victoria Chambers out!"

"You're crazy!" said River. "She's two years ahead of us!"

James laughed. "That's never stopped anyone before! Just you watch. I'm going to get her to go out with me!"

He then ran after the young lady with long black hair, who Albus had seen on the train when she told them to change into their school robes. Albus couldn't believe that his brother was already interested in girls. He liked Kerissa, but she was just a friend. He'd never think about dating her!

Albus continued making his way to the library. He had a special project to work on. One that, even without his father, he thought might might cheer Kerissa up. But he couldn't do it alone. He'd need all the help he could get.

When Albus had told Madam Pince that he was looking for a book on American Culture, he was quite surprised when she actually offered to help him look for once. In all the times he had been to the library, not once had she offered to help him find information on subjects ranging from Blurry Beetles to Zarathustra Oil. But on this subject, she seemed most interested. Unfortunately, the only information available was on American Wizards, not American Muggles.

However, Madam Pince had offered to make a special request for Albus. A book on muggle culture in America. _American Muggle Customs and Traditions_ by David Houdini. Madam Pince actually looked happy when Albus requested the book. Something that Albus felt, was a rarity at Hogwarts.

Albus had went to the library to see if the book was in yet, and to his surprise - it was. He quickly thumbed through the book, looking for something that might cheer Kerissa up. He had gotten half-way through Chapter Two (Muggle Holidays in America), before he realized that it was getting late.

He was halfway out of the library, when he realized that he had left the book behind. But he didn't have time to turn around and get it, so he figured he'd come back for it later. On his way down to the Quidditch Pitch, he ran into the last person he wanted to see before the game - his brother.

"Now I've got another reason to catch the snitch before you, Al!" James said. "Besides embarrassing you, of course."

Albus rolled his eyes. "What's that, they threatened to throw you off the team if you lose?"

"I'm not going to lose, little brother. I'll have you know that Victoria Chambers agreed to go out with me if I catch the snitch. Well, I better get going. I've got a Quidditch game to win. And you've got one to lose!"

This was the first Quidditch Match for either of the brothers. But James had more flying practice than Albus did. He was a year older, and a year wiser. And that worried Albus just a little. James had risen the stakes involved with the game to get himself even more motivated to win. But Albus felt that he was just as determined. He had to win. To prove himself to his fellow students, and to himself.

By the time that Albus got down to the Quidditch pitch, the whole school seemed to already be out in the stands. Students and teachers alike were crowded together, ready for the first game of the season.

Rose, Scorpius, Gideon, and Piper were all sitting in the top row, ready to cheer Albus and Kerissa on. Even Peyton Pratt had donned on his best green and silver to support the team.

Meanwhile, in the locker room, Albus and his teammates were changing into their forest green Quidditch robes.

"We're going to win this one!" Keegan said. "They're going to underestimate us because we did so poorly last year! But we're going to win." Nobody else on the team seemed to have the same confidence. Albus was very nervous about playing against his older brother.

The Slytherin locker room grew quiet, as game time approached. They were all as prepared as they could be for the game. Win, or lose, they were going to play their hardest.

Albus followed Turner and Barnes out of the locker room, and he was met with loud cheers from the Slytherin side.

Madam Bell was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams with her broom in her hand.

"I want a good clean game," she said, once they were all gathered around. Albus could swear that she was looking at the Slytherin team as she said it.

"Mount your brooms, please."

Albus climbed onto his X-17. Madam Bell gave a loud blast on her gold whistle. Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off.

"What a game we have here today! Slytherin vs Gryffindor! Brother vs Brother! Good versus Evil!"

"RIVER!"

"Sorry, Professor."

James's best friend, River Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor Atlee.

"And the Quaffle is taken by Kerissa Balfour. If you haven't heard, she doesn't like Muggle-borns!"

Professor Atlee glared at him.

"Balfour passes it to Slytherin Team Captain, Keegan. Blocked by a bludger! Gryffindor takes the Quaffle! Jonas Beck has the Quaffle now. Despite being a sixth year, he's already being scouted by the Chudley Cannons! Ooh- and in a right nasty move, Slytherin Beater Barnes beams a bludger right at him! Nearly knocks him right off his broom! That should be a penalty! Slytherin has the Quaffle back. Winchester has the Quaffle now - he passes it to Keegan - back to Winchester - now to Balfour - and SLYTHERIN SCORES!"

Slytherin cheers filled the cool crisp Autumn air, along with groans from Gryffindor.

"That will teach them not to underestimate our first years!" Piper said, smiling widely.

"Yeah, but there's still no sign of the snitch..." Rose said.

Way up above them, Albus was watching closely for the snitch. He thought better of trying a feint, as his brother had much more experience than him on a broom, and a mistake could cost Slytherin the game.

When Kerissa brought the score Twenty to Zero for Slytherin, Albus cheered along with the rest of his house. He then quickly went back to looking for the snitch. The pressure was almost unbearable. He had been able to catch the snitch in practice - but now he was in front of the entire school. And every hint of gold he saw, he mistook for the snitch.

"Slytherin back in possession," River Jordan was saying, "Balfour ducks two Bludgers, and both of the Gryffindor beaters, and - OH NO! Slytherin scores again! Of course some people don't have to buy a Supernova broom to get on the team..."

"River Jordan, if you don't stop that right now!"

"Yes, professor."

A murmur ran through the crowd. How was Kerissa so good for a first year? It was certainly very impressive. The head of Slytherin House, Professor Pardayle, was cheering just as hard as any of his students.

"Gryffindor has the Quaffle ow. That's chaser Hartley, maybe she'll go out with me if we win the game! She dodges both Barnes and Turner and - GRYFFINDOR SCORES! Slytherin Thirty, Gryffindor - wait, was that the snitch just now?"

Everyone began to cheer loudly, as the snitch came into view. Both Albus and James spotted it immediately. Both of them flew as fast as they could towards Amanda. Each wanting the snitch as much as the other. But their brooms collided in mid-air, and both boys had to try their best to remount their broom. James, the more experienced at this sort of thing, got back up first. But Albus wasn't far behind him.

"Are you okay, Al?" asked Kerissa, as she flew by. Albus nodded as he clutched tightly on to his broom. But he time he had regained his composure, the snitch had gone back out of sight. But James had lost sight of it as well.

Down in the stands, Rose had covered her eyes. "They're both going to get hurt if they aren't careful!"

There was no further sign of the snitch for some time after that. Slytherin and Gryffindor both managed to score a few more times before either boy saw it again. Meanwhile, River was finding it very hard to remain unbiased.

"-and Balfour scores yet again. No surprise. I bet she had some help from Felix there... the score is Slytherin One Hundred Seventy, Gryffindor Eighty. Gryffindor should could use their seeker catching the snitch right about now."

But still, there was no sign of the snitch. A couple of times, Piper thought she saw it (There! By Kerissa's ear! No wait, that's an earring..) but it had proven to be very evasive.

The game had dragged on for some time. People from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were starting to wonder if either seeker were any good. River's commentary eventually lost all neutrality, as Professor Atlee continued reprimanding him.

Kerissa had scored once more, before Albus finally caught sight of the snitch again. It was hovering slightly above the ground. Albus glanced over to James to see what he was doing. He too was looking for the snitch. But Albus was closer. All he'd have to do, was make a dive for it. Their broom speeds were the same... even if their skills were not. Albus finally made a dive for it.

It wasn't long before James noticed, but Albus was significantly ahead. The snitch was as good as his. James increased his speed, gaining on him. But still, Albus was too far ahead not to catch the snitch now. The closer Albus got to the snitch, the closer James got to him. Turner hit a bludger straight at James, hoping to knock him off course and secure the win. And -

And Albus was hit instead! Nearly knocked off his broom, Albus had significantly lost speed. James had passed him now, the snitch clasped tightly in his hand. He was smiling back at Albus. The game was over.

"GRYFFINDOR WINS! TWO HUNDRED THIRTY TO TWO HUNDRED!" River shouted with glee. He no longer had to have any pretense of being impartial.

The Gryffindor section cheered loudly, some chanting James's name. Even some of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were cheering at Slytherin's demise.

After the game, Albus felt worse than he had in some time. He had lost the game for them. Even after Kerissa had done so well to score ten times - a record for a single player at Hogwarts in the past twenty years.

"Don't sweat it. If Turner hadn't sent that Bludger at you..." Keegan reassured him. "We win as a team, and we lose as a team Potter! Remember that."

But Peyton Pratt wasn't so understanding. To Peyton and his pals, Albus was the only reason that they lost the game. "You should have dodged that bludger!" they shouted at him as he made his way back to the common room.

He could also hear his brother bragging loudly on the staircases. "My brother was a good fifty feet ahead of me, but I managed to catch him! All while dodging a bludger!" he said gleefully on his way back to Gryffindor Common Room. "Told you I'd get Victoria Chambers to go out with me! She's very interested in me. Thinks I'm cute. Knew I'd catch the snitch, you see."

Keegan continued to try to reassure Albus, but it just made him feel worse. He considered resigning from the Quidditch team. He was sure that Cunningham would have caught that snitch. Or even one of the other players that tried out. Maybe then, they would have a chance at the House Cup.

"Owen, I'm thinking about..." he started to say.

"Resigning?" Keegan asked. "Then maybe you should! My first game, I didn't score a single point. In fact, I'm pretty sure I lead the other tea to scoring a lot more points than they should have. But I didn't think about resigning. Not once. Not even after the Team Captain told me I should!"

"But-"

"But nothing," Keegan said. "If it weren't for Turner, you'd have won the game. If it weren't for Turner, instead of thinking of resigning, you'd be thinking of becoming a professional Quidditch player."

Albus couldn't disagree. It was a fair point. If he caught the snitch, things would be much different. He wouldn't be feeling so low. In fact, he'd be feeling like he was on top of the world.

"Just do better next time!" Piper said cheerfully behind him. "We still did better than we have in all the years I've been here!"

They had him convinced. He wouldn't resign from the Quidditch team just yet. He'd play one more game, and see how it went before making that decision.

The rest of the day went a little better for Albus. He managed to get an entire foot done on his essay on the uses of Fang of Rat (In addition to being an ingredient in several potions, it also wards off door to door salesmen), and he finally had mastered Wingardium Leviosa.

"Maybe you should lose at Quidditch more often." came Roses' voice, as Albus finished the last of his homework.

"What?" said Albus, wondering why Rose of all people would be taunting him.

"You'd actually get all of your homework done!"

Albus laughed. He felt a lot better now, than he had earlier. The loss was now at the back of his mind. Though he was sure that his fellow Slytherins would not be so forgiving.

"I don't suppose you could help me with my report on Leaping Toadstools?" Albus asked.

Herbology still held little interest for Albus. And Leaping Toadstools weren't making things any more interesting.

"You should have done it a week ago." Rose said. "You know that it's due next week!"

"That's why I need help!" he said. "C'mon. Surely you can help your cousin out."

Rose gave Albus a smile that indicated that she would help him. But what she said... was less than encouraging. "_Fungus Among Us_." she said. "I highly recommend using it for your report."

Albus groaned. Rose never liked to help him with homework directly. She would only give him direction. He always had to do the work. And while he supposed that it was for the best, he wished that just once she would assist him without telling him to look something up in a book.

"I guess I better get to the library, then." Albus said. It was then that Albus remembered that he left _American Muggle Customs and Traditions_ there just before the Quidditch match. He'd have to remember to pick it up along with _Fungus Among Us_.

The library was pretty empty, aside from some Ravenclaw students. And Albus was thankful for that. He didn't think that he would be able to tolerate the teasing from Gryffindor, or the looks from Slytherin. He found the book that Rose had recommended, and then grabbed the book he left behind. He then sat at an empty table, and pondered over which one he should look at.

He finally decided that his Herbology paper was too important to put off. He went to work immediately. He was determined to finish the paper. And to his surprise, Leaping Toadstool was a lot more interesting than his textbook had lead him to believe. In addition to being used in soups, they had been used to trick Muggles into thinking they were hallucinating. Albus finished up his report, and returned _Fungus Among Us_ to it's shelf.

It was then that he was approached by a student from Ravenclaw. "Psst..."

Albus looked around. "Are you... talking to me?" he asked. The boy nodded. "The names Kevin Collier." he said. "And I was watching the Quidditch match."

Albus groaned. He had thought that Ravenclaw wouldn't pester him about not catching the snitch. But it appeared as if he were wrong. Or so he thought.

"Turner hit that bludger straight at you. I saw it." Collier told him. "He did it on purpose."

Albus couldn't believe what he was saying. "But... why would he..." But Collier had the answer for that too. "He wanted you to quit the team. I also overheard him and Cunningham talking. Cunningham told him to make sure you didn't catch the snitch."

Albus couldn't believe it. It wasn't just that Turner had hit him by mistake. He had done it on purpose. But what could he do? Tell Owen? Would Owen even believe him? Did it even matter? Turner was a good beater. Albus was sure that Turner wouldn't be kicked off the team for it.

"Just thought you might like to know." Collier said, before running back to his friends.

Albus wasn't sure what to do with the information. But he had other things on his mind still. Such as the book still in front of him. He felt that if he could make Kerissa feel more at home at Hogwarts... he might be able to cheer her up. He flipped through the pages a while. Reading about American Holidays such as Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. None of them seemed very significant. So Albus decided to return to the Slytherin Dungeon. He thought he might have better luck there.

On his way back, he ran into Cunningham. And just as he had thought, Cunningham brought up the fact that Albus didn't catch the snitch. But Albus didn't let it bother him. He knew the truth. That's what mattered. None of the Slytherins criticisms of him would get to him now. It was sabotage, plain and simple. He finally got back to the Slytherin Dungeons, said the password, and entered.

Once inside, he ran into someone else he didn't want to see. His teammate, Turner. "Should've dodged my bludger." he said. Albus couldn't believe the nerve of him. But he wasn't going to let it bother him. He knew that this was just part of the plan to get Albus to resign. And Albus was more determined than ever not to.

"You mean the one you hit at me?" he asked. He wanted Turner to know that he knew. "What are you accusing me of?" Turner asked. Albus smiled. "I'm not accusing. I'm just stating facts. I know you wanted me off the team. I know you hit me on purpose."

Turner had a nasty snarl on his face now. He obviously didn't like that Albus knew. And he disliked that Albus was confronting him even more. "What are you gonna do?" he asked. "Tell Owen?"

But Albus shook his head. "No. I don't think I need to. Not unless we have any more problems." he said. Albus then walked down to the boys dormitory, as Turner stood speechless.

Albus went back to reading the book that Madam Pince had ordered for him. And just when he was about to give up, he turned to a page that was perfect. One that gave him an idea that would cheer Kerissa up for sure. Hogwarts, Albus decided, was going to have it's first Thanksgiving.


	8. The First Thanksgiving

**Chapter 8: The First Thanksgiving**

It was a lot more work than Albus had expected, planning Thanksgiving. First, he had to find a teacher that would help him. That was simple enough. Though he gave consideration to Professor Pardayle, Hagrid was the ideal choice for a Thanksgiving. And the head of Gryffindor House was more than happy to give the holiday a try.

Next, he had to invite others to the dinner. But Kerissa was the only student from the states at Hogwarts. And nobody else seemed like they wanted to come. Most of the Slytherins were interested, until they heard that it was a Muggle Holiday. And most of the Gryffindors were likewise interested, until they heard that a Slytherin was planning it. The only people he managed to get to agree to come were Rose and Piper. Even Scorpius and Gideon said 'No'. Gideon was afraid of his reputation in Slytherin being even worse. And Scorpius knew that his father would likely disown him if he participated in a Muggle holiday. But five people seemed to make for a decent sized Thanksgiving.

Once the invitations were set, Hagrid and Albus had to request the House Elves make the foods that were common to Thanksgiving in the states. Things like Turkey, Stuffing, and Pumpkin Pie. The house elves were more than happy to cook everything.

The last thing for Albus to do, was on the fourth Thursday in November, get Kerissa to come to Hagrid's Hut. That part, he hoped would be easy.

After Herbology on Thanksgiving (where they learned spells to ward off Devil's Snare, the most interesting thing they had done in the class so far), Albus headed to Hagrid's hut to get ready for the big day.

"'Ello Albus." said Hagrid. "Everything's ready for you-know-what."

"Thanks, Hagrid." said Albus. "It's just too bad that we couldn't get more people to come."

Shortly after Albus arrived, Piper showed up as well. It was her first time in Hagrid's hut. "Thank you for inviting me, Professor."

"I've told yeh, jus' call me Hagrid."

"Sorry, Professor. Just a force of habit." said Piper.

Albus looked puzzled. "Do you know Piper, Hagrid?" he asked. Hagrid nodded. "She's in my Care of Magical Creatures class. Top of er' class too I might add."

"You embarrass me, Professor." said Piper, blushing slightly. "An' I told yeh, stop callin' me professor. That's what's embarrassin'."

Albus looked around for a bit. The food on the table looked amazing. But he was starting to get anxious. What if he had done something wrong? What if the book had left something out? His mind raced with thoughts. "Where's Rose?" he finally asked, getting too anxious. "She's getting the guest of honor, remember?" said Piper. But Albus thought it'd be a bit easier than that. He wondered why it was taking Rose so long.

"Perhaps I should go look for them?" said Piper.

But Hagrid reassured them that they'd probably be along any minute. More time passed though, and still nothing. It had now been over half an hour since Piper showed up. With no sign of either of the girls.

Finally, after another ten minutes of waiting, Rose showed up looking exasperated. "Hagrid! Hagrid!" she shouted. "It's Kerissa! She's hurt!"

"What?" bellowed Hagrid. "What are yeh talking about?"

"Down by the lake!" Rose shouted. "Someone attacked her!"

Albus's heart skipped a beat. Lady Sinister! Rose hadn't heard the story, and neither had Piper. But Hagrid had. The two exchanged a knowing look, realizing what must have happened. They rushed to the lake as fast as they could, wondering what they would find there. When they finally got to the lake, Kerissa was lying on the ground. Her hair was an oddly coloured green.

"A right nasty spell." said Hagrid. "We ought to take her to Madam Pomfrey. She'll know what ter do."

Hagrid bent over to pick Kerissa up. But as he did, she started to come to. "Wh-where am I?" she asked.

"You're down by the lake." said Albus. "Do you... remember who attacked you?"

Kerissa shook her head. "No... I- My wand!" She looked around. She no longer had her wand on her. "Where is my wand?"

"Come on, now." said Hagrid. "We'll find yer wand. Now yeh ought to go see Madam Pomfrey. She'll fix yeh right up."

She shook her head. "I'm... fine." said Kerissa. "Please. Don't make me go see Madam Pomfrey. The last time I was in there... she gave me some right awful medicine, and I was stuck with a pig snout for half of the day."

Albus remembered all too well that day. Everyone in Slytherin was picking on her. Even Scorpius. Hagrid looked conflicted as to what to do. After thinking about it, he decided that if Kerissa felt that she didn't need to see Madam Pomfrey, that he'd only insist if she didn't show signs of improvement.

"Come on now." said Hagrid. "We'll find yer wand. And then we'll go back to my hut... and have a cuppa tea." Hagrid winked at Albus, who smiled back at him. The plan was back on.

They looked around for Kerissa's wand. But it didn't seem to be anywhere. Had her attacker taken it? Leaving her defenseless? But then... why not finish the job?

"Looking for this?" asked a voice from behind as they were looking. It was Albus's older brother James. And in his hand was Kerissa's wand - 10" Willow with a Dragonheart String core.

"You stole my wand?" shouted Kerissa.

James scoffed. "Like I'd want your wand. Professor DeMontmorency found it, and asked me to give it to you."

"Oh... thanks." said Kerissa.

"Well then, we found yer wand!" said Hagrid. "So why don't we go ave' that cuppa tea now? You can come too, James."

"I'd be delighted, Hagrid." said James, to Albus's displeasure. He didn't really want his brother at his 'Thanksgiving' feast. He knew he'd never hear the end of it. But he didn't want to tell his brother not to come either. After all, thanksgiving was supposed to be about family. And whether he liked it or not, James was family.

Everyone went back to Hagrid's, where Kerissa was very surprised by the feast.

"We know over there in the states, yeh celebrate Thanksgiving." said Hagrid. "So Albus thought yeh might like to celebrate it here too. You know. To make yeh feel more comfortable."

Kerissa blushed a little. James giggled. "Albus has a girlfriend!" and Albus gave him an awful glare. "So... uh. How do you do Thanksgiving exactly?" asked Albus.

Kerissa smiled, as her hair started going back to it's natural blonde state. "Well... we all gather around the dinner table, and say what we are thankful for."

"That sounds nice." said Hagrid. "So why don't we start with you, Kerissa."

"I'm thankful for having such wonderful friends." she said. This made everyone at the table save for James blush a little. "I'm thankful that Slytherin has some nice students in it." said Albus.

They went around the table, saying what they were thankful for. Piper was thankful that she'd be done with her OWLs after this year. Rose was thankful that she got placed in the same house as her cousin. Hagrid was thankful that Gryffindor and Slytherin could get along, even if it were only a couple of people, and even if it were only for a short while.

"And I'm thankful I'm not in Slytherin!" said James. Piper laughed after he said it. "What?" asked James indignantly. But she never did explain.

Afterwards, everyone began to dig in. The food was absolutely delicious. The house elves had really outdone themselves. The Turkey was cooked to perfection. The pumpkin pie was even better than the pumpkin cookies at Halloween. And there was plenty of it to go around.

"This really was a good idea, Al." Rose whispered to Albus. "Especially since Kerissa isn't going home for break."

At that moment, a look of horror came over Albus's face. Kerissa was going to be at Hogwarts over the Christmas break. A time that would be perfect for Lady Sinister to attack. He didn't want to worry anyone else at the table about the story. But he considered his options. Maybe... just maybe... he should stay for break as well.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Hagrid was telling Kerissa and Rose (who were both very interested) about his Care of Magical Creatures classes. They wouldn't get to take them until their third year, though. Piper just seemed to enjoy the company of the nicer students from Slytherin. Even James seemed to be happy to be there. He even picked on Albus less than usual.

Piper was the first to leave, having to write a foot on Transfigurations for Professor Vareth. She thanked Hagrid and Albus for planning the dinner before leaving.

By the time everyone finished eating, it was starting to get late. Rose promised Hagrid that she would make Kerissa go see Madam Pomfrey for a checkup when they got back to their rooms. She and Kerissa went on ahead, leaving Albus to walk back to the castle with his older brother.

"The nerve of that Muggleborn hater!" said James. "Accusing me of stealing her wand."

"She doesn't hate muggleborns!" said Albus, with more conviction than he had ever said it before. "Of course she does, she's in Slytherin isn't she?" James retorted. Albus just rolled his eyes.

"Oh, and just so you know. Tori will be coming home with us! So you better be nice to her."

After that, James went running off ahead. Albus couldn't believe that James had invited his girlfriend of less than a month to their house for Christmas. Even more, he couldn't believe that James actually had a girlfriend. He was a prankster at heart. Always getting into trouble. What could a nice girl from Ravenclaw see in him?

It was then that it dawned on Albus. If James could invite Victoria to their house for Christmas, then he could invite Kerissa. He would just have to get his parents to agree. Then, Kerissa would not be in danger.

When Albus got back to his dorm, he began writing a letter immediately.

Dear Mum and Dad

I know that James is bringing home

his girlfriend for Christmas. Do

you think it would be alright if

I invited Kerissa Balfour to spend

the holidays with us too? She is

a good friend of mine. If it would

not be too much trouble. She is

going to end up spending Christmas

at Hogwarts, and if you remember my

previous letter, I am not so sure

that is safe.

-Love Al

He then rushed to the Owlery, to deliver the letter. "Alright Raghnild. Make sure mum and dad get this one quickly!"

Albus's owl flew off, and Albus returned to the Slytherin Dungeons. It was night by now, and he had a foot to do on Runespoors.

At lunch the next day, Raghnild had not yet returned. Albus had wondered if he would get a response from his parents in time. His father still hadn't responded to the letter he had written earlier in the year.

Albus and his friends rushed off to Defense Against the Dark Arts, where the Gryffindor First Years had showed up early. Albus could hear them a couple of them whispering.

"They can't do that!" said one of the boys. "They'd be expelled."

"Slytherins aren't worried about being expelled, Josh." said a black haired boy. "The headmaster is too afraid of their pet Basilisk to expel any of them!"

Josh looked positively frightened when Albus and his friends took their seats. "Go on!" said the black haired boy. "Confront them! You're in Gryffindor! Be brave!"

Albus was tempted to laugh. But it was no laughing matter when Josh approached them. "Are you... g-going to kill me?" he asked.

"Nonsense!" came Professor Pardayle's voice as he entered the classroom. "Nobody is going to kill you, Owens. And Sloan, five points from Gryffindor for tricking your fellow student like that."

Sloan didn't look happy at all at losing points for Gryffindor. "He'd take points from Gryffindor for looking at him funny, I bet." said the girl sitting next to him.

Professor Pardayle cleared his throat and began the days lesson, ignoring the comments from Gryffindor. "I assume that everyone has their parchment on Runespoors. Today, we're going to have a test."

Professor Pardayle passed out the tests, and the room quieted down immediately. Albus took out his quill, and looked at the first question.

1. How many heads does a Runespoor have?

Albus penned in '3', and continued on with his test. The test asked questions ranging from 'What is the function of each of the Runespoor's heads?" to "How can you identify a Runespoor?" Though most were located in Africa, it was still good knowledge to have. Especially since they were known to be used by Dark Wizards. Of course... that was a distinction that they were quickly losing.

Kerissa was the first to finish her test, and she was soon followed by Rose. A few more students turned their test in, before Albus finally finished his. He handed it in, confident that he had aced it. Defense Against the Dark Arts was one class he excelled at.

After class was over, Albus returned to the Slytherin Dungeons with Rose. It was on the way there, that he explained everything about Kerissa to Rose.

"Rose... you know how Kerissa's parents died, right?" asked Albus. Rose nodded. "Well, some people believe that her parents were killed by a Dark Witch named Lady Sinister."

Rose gasped. She couldn't believe that Kerissa's parents had been killed. "That sounds awful!" she said, getting over her shock. "But... why are you telling me now?"

Albus looked at the floor for a second. He wasn't sure how to tell her this. He didn't want her to worry too much. But she had a right to know. And the longer he kept it from her, the harder it would be to tell her.

"Do you remember the piece of Graffiti found on Halloween?" asked Albus. Rose nodded. It was hard to forget. Mr. Hall had constantly complained that it was impossible to remove. Even some of the teachers had tried, but failed to remove it.

"Well... that's the symbol for Lady Sinister." said Albus. Rose gasped loudly. "But then... do you think..."

Albus nodded. "Professor Pardayle and Hagrid both said that she's safe here. But... that attack by the lake."

Rose thought for a minute. It was a lot of information to take in. "But.. will she really be safe here alone, for Christmas? I mean.. she's the only girl from Slytherin not going home."

This had worried Albus further. Kerissa would be all alone in her common room, an easy target for Lady Sinister. He had hoped he would get a quick reply from his parents. After all, Christmas was approaching. And he still had yet to ask Kerissa if she wanted to come. If she said no... he'd have to convince her.

"I asked my parents if it'd be alright to invite Kerissa to our house for Christmas." explained Albus. This made Rose brighten up a little. "Do you think they'll say yes?"

Albus thought for a moment. He wasn't really sure. He couldn't see many reasons for his parents to say no. There was plenty of room. And they had let James invite his girlfriend. But they might think that he is too young to invite a girl home for Christmas.

"...Maybe." said Albus. "I hope so, anyway. I'm still waiting for a reply."

Both Rose and Albus hoped that a reply would come quickly. But Albus had other things on his mind as well. Such as Quidditch. Though the team had lost to Gryffindor, they still had a chance to beat Ravenclaw. Though their match would not be until after Christmas, Albus wanted to get in as much practice as he could.

The Quidditch pitch was empty, and therefore free for anyone who wanted to use it. Albus's flying had improved since the loss to Gryffindor earlier in the month. But he still needed to be able to dodge a bludger, as he was sure that Ravenclaw would try that tactic on him.

"Thanks for agreeing to help me." said Albus. Barnes smiled. "Can't have you failing to catch the snitch again because of a bludger."

Barnes began hitting bludgers at Albus, as he practiced dodging them. At first, he had some trouble. The first couple hit him straight on. But soon, he got the hang of it. Only half of the bludgers hit him on his first round. And on his second, only a third. He was seeing marked improvement.

But he didn't want to quit until he was able to dodge all of the bludgers. On his sixth round, he had dodged all but one. It was on his seventh round that he finally managed to dodge them all. Afterwards, he felt a bit more confident in his abilities. He felt that no matter what Ravenclaw threw at him, he'd be able to catch the snitch. So long as he saw it first.

It had gotten dark by the time the two boys had finished practicing. So they walked back to the castle together. Barnes seemed to be unusually nice to Albus. "We'll beat Ravenclaw." he said. "We've got a great team."

Back at Slytherin Dungeons, everyone else was busy doing their homework. Some of the older students were ready for one of the last trips to Hogsmeade before Christmas break. Albus however was more focused on receiving a response from his parents.

Saturday came, and still no response. Quidditch Practice went much better on Saturday than it had in some time. Keegan wanted them to learn some new formations before break. They still had a chance at winning, but it wouldn't be easy. And Gryffindor still needed to lose one of it's remaining matches.

After practice, Albus went to the owlery to see if Raghnild had returned. But he had not. Albus went back to the Slytherin dungeon to work on his History of Magic report. Something that he dreaded doing. It always seemed as if he had some report due for Professor Binns. He had often wondered just how a ghost could grade them.

He checked the owlery three more times, before nightfall. And still there had been no sign of Raghnild. Was his father refusing to write to him? Or had Raghnild gotten lost? It was possible, he figured, that his owl was delivering his letters to the wrong person. Or perhaps, someone was intercepting his letters. Like James, or worse... Lady Sinister.

On Sunday, he expressed his concerns to Rose after checking the Owlery after breakfast.

"Hmm... I guess that's possible." said Rose. "But does James even know that you are inviting Kerissa to Christmas?"

Albus shrugged. "I'm not sure, to be honest. But I never received a response from my first letter. And I doubt James would have done that. It makes me worry that Lady Sinister IS in fact confiscating my letters."

It had made Albus even more concerned about Kerissa's safety over the break, if his parents said no. If Lady Sinister could intercept Raghnild, then she could do a lot worse to Kerissa.

"Why don't you use one of the school owls?" asked Rose. "Then.. maybe she won't think to intercept it?"

"That's brilliant!" said Albus, wondering why he hadn't thought of it before. There was no way that Lady Sinister could know that he had sent out one of the school owls. So he rushed back to his common room, to re-write his letter. When he was done, he headed back for the Owlery.

"I see your owl just got back." said James, running into Albus on the stairway. "Your subscription to Dark Wizard Monthly come in?"

Albus ignored his brother's teasing and ran past him. He had hoped that Raghnild had a letter for him, hoping that Lady Sinister had not in fact intercepted him. He couldn't wait until the mail came at lunch the next day. To Albus's surprise, Raghnild did have a letter for him. He took it out of Raghnild's beak, and patted him on the head. He then began to read his letter.

Dear Al,

I'm sorry that I didn't respond to your

first letter. I know that you have been

patiently waiting to hear from me. Unfortunately

there is not much that I can say about the Red

Witch. It seems that you already know as much as

I do. But I assure you that there is nothing to

be worried about. Hogwarts is the safest place

that anyone can be. The mark that was left is

troublesome, but even the Red Witch would be

foolish to try to attack someone inside the walls

of Hogwarts. I'm sorry to hear that Ms. Balfour

was attacked near the lake. But thankfully she

is doing well. We would be delighted to have

her stay with us over the Winter Break. Any of

your friends are always welcome at our house.

-Love, Dad


	9. Christmas With The Potters

**Chapter 9: Christmas With The Potters**

Number Twelve Grimmauld Place in London was the home of the Potter Family. It was a rather nice home, that had once belonged to the Noble Black Family. The Black's were a family of pure blood wizards, who like many other pure blood families, had supported Pure Blood Supremacy. But not every member of the family favoured blood purity. There was one family member who felt that all wizards were equal. And it was that family member that had passed the house on to his godson, Albus's father.

On the outside, the house looked very old. It set between two muggle homes, but the muggles never noticed the people going in and out of the home thanks to a Muggle Repeling Charm.

"Welcome home, Masters James and Albus." came the creaky old voice of the Potter's house-elf, Kreacher. Kreacher too had once belonged to the noble Black Family, and like the house, he too had been passed on to the Potters.

House-Elves were creatures that were bound to their masters wishes. Their magic was particularly powerful, though many dark wizards had ignored their potential. Their masters wishes were their ultimate authority. It was only recently that laws were passed regarding the treatment of house-elves.

"Hello, Kreacher!" said James. "Would you mind getting Tori and me something to drink?"

"Of course, Master James." said the house-elf, bowing. "It would be my pleasure." With a loud crack, the house-elf disappeared.

"That was Kreacher, our house-elf." Albus explained to Kerissa. She thought privately to herself that her Aunt Amanda would love to have a House-Elf. But in the States, it was illegal to own a House-Elf. So she would not have dared to tell her Aunt Amanda about them.

Kerissa looked around the house. Though on the outside it looked very old, the inside was in near mint condition. It was a very nice house. A place that anybody would be happy to call home.

A woman with long, beautiful fiery red hair walked into the living room to greet them. She was tall, and thing. She was Albus and James's mother. And right behind her was their younger sister, Lily.

"Al! James!" she said. "It's very nice to have you home for the holidays. Is this the girlfriend you've wrote to me about so much?"

James look at Victoria to see her reaction. He then blushed, and nodded.

"it's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." said Victoria.

"How nice!" said Mrs. Potter. "Very polite. And this must be Ms. Kerissa Balfour, Albus?"

Albus nodded. "Yeah, mum. This is Kerissa."

Kerissa's hair turned a light shade of red from embarrassment. She was almost trembling. "N-nice to m-meet you." said Kerissa. "You have a v-very l-lovely home."

Mrs. Potter smiled at her, as her only daughter gasped from behind her. "You didn't tell me you met someone like Teddy, Al!"

"I bet Teddy will be happy to see another Metamorphmagus! I'm sure that the two of you will get along very well." said Mrs. Potter.

"I doubt it." said James quickly. "After all, she is in Slyth-"

"James Sirius Potter! What have I told you about teasing your brother!" interrupted Mrs. Potter quickly.

"Sorry Mum!" said James. He knew that when his mother used his full name, he was in trouble.

Mrs. Potter smiled again. "That's better." She then turned to Albus, and gave him a warm hug. "How is school going Al?"

Albus smiled at his mother. "It's going better than I thought it would be. Slytherin really isn't as bad as everyone says it is."

James made a remark under his breath, but his mother didn't seem to catch it.

Suddenly, Kreacher reappeared in the room, holding James and Victoria's beverages. He handed them to them, and then looked at Albus and bowed. "Did I hear correctly, Master Albus? That you were sorted into Slytherin?"

"I was!" said Albus, remembering that many members of the Black family had been in Slytherin. It gave him comfort to know that at least their house-elf would be happy that he was in Slytherin.

"Master Regulus was in Slytherin too, you know."

"Finally!" shouted the portrait on the wall. "Someone in this house gets sorted into the only proper house at Hogwarts. It's been years..."

Mrs. potter sighed. "I told your father to take that nasty portrait down. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone CAN remove it. It must have a permanent sticking charm. I'd try burning it, but I think that would upset Kreacher."

The portrait was of Walburga Black. She was a former owner of the house, and had reluctantly passed it on to her disowned son, Sirius. It was a right nasty portrait, that would all too often shout insults at the Potters. And it never seemed to shut up.

"Ol' Walburga will love Kerissa. She hates Muggle-Borns!" said James.

"Filthy mubloods!" the portrait shouted. "You mean to tell me someone with some class was invited into this house... I am shocked."

"James!" came the voice of his father from the other room. He had just gotten home from work when his son had insulted Kerissa. "Don't be rude to our guest. It's not nice to say things that aren't true." He then cast a silencing spell on the portrait, so that it would be unable to speak for the rest of the night.

"Yes, Dad." said James, as he went to greet his father. "Oh, this is my girlfriend, Victoria Chambers. I told you about her in my letter."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." said Mr. Potter, who seemed a bit distracted.

"Likewise. My mum has told me a lot about you."

"And you must be Ms. Balfour." said Albus's father, seeming less distracted. Albus had guessed that his father wanted to hear more about Lady Sinister, and the attack on Kerissa at Hogwarts.

"Y-yes. It's... an h-honor to m-meet you sir." said Kerissa, still trembling a little.

Mr. Potter smiled at her, just as his wife had. "It's alright. I don't bite. Promise."

Kerissa smiled back at him. "thank you for allowing me to come and stay with you over winter break." she said.

"Do you think I might ask you a few questions... about your attack?" asked Mr. Potter, getting straight to business. Albus had been right. His father was very interested in hearing about Lady Sinister.

"Harry!" his wife shouted at him. "The poor girl has just arrived! Don't you think you could wait to ask your questions later? How would you feel if someone started asking YOU questions after what happened in your first year?"

"Right, dear." said Mr. Potter. But it was clear that he still wanted to hear what Kerissa had to say. After all, nobody knew much about Lady Sinister. As far as the ministry was concerned... she didn't even exist. At least... that had been the position of Mr. Potter's predecessor. The ministry had been forced to accept that position, so that they might appear united.

While Mrs. Potter prepared dinner, Albus showed Kerissa his room. He was very excited to have a friend from school see it. A gold plate on the door read:  
**Albus Severus Potter**

His room was adorned in Forest Green and Silver, the colors of Slytherin House. It had been done by his mother while he was away at school. He had posters on his walls of the Chudely Canons, his favorite Quidditch Team. He also had one poster of the Hollyhead Harpies, from back when his mother played for them. Outside of that, little in his room stood out. It was very tidy. Everything had been put away, even though Mr. and Mrs. Potter had ordered Kreacher not to clean either of the boys rooms, feeling that it built character to have them do it themselves.

On his desk, were a number of books that he had read before going to Hogwarts. Most of the books were about Quidditch, or Hexes. But he did have one book on how muggles act. It had been given to him by his Aunt Hermione for Christmas last year. The book had gathered some dust, and it was clear that it hadn't been opened in a while.

After showing Kerissa his room, he showed her where she and Victoria would be staying - the guest rooms. They had been neatly cleaned in preparation for it's guests. The guest rooms were adequate in size, and had several beds. It looked like there was room for at least twelve people to stay.

After being given a tour of the house, Kerissa offered to help Mrs. Potter with dinner. But Mrs. Potter told her that she was a guest, but thanked her for offering.

During dinner, James bragged about how he won his first Quidditch match against Slytherin. He embellished just how far Albus was ahead of him when he first spotted the snitch. Albus decided not to mention that he would have won if Turner hadn't beamed a bludger at him on purpose in order to get him to quit the team. He didn't want to worry his father, or to take away from his brother's moment of glory. He didn't want his brother to think that he was jealous of him either. He felt it was just best to say nothing at all.

After dinner, all of the kids went outside to practice on their brooms. Kerissa was even nice enough to let James ride her Supernova. He was impressed by it's speed, and reluctantly admitted that Kerissa was a very good flier.

The next day, Teddy Lupin arrived at the Potter's house. He was carrying a load of gifts in his arms. His hair was Turquoise, and he had a large grin on his face.

"I come bearing gifts!" he announced as he walked in the door.

"Teddy!" shouted Lily, running down the stairs to greet him. She seemed the most happy of everyone that Teddy was there.

"Teddy and Victoire sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" sang James and Albus immediately. They had learned the song from their muggle cousins.

"Boys!" said Mrs. Potter. "Don't tease Teddy! You wouldn't want him to tease you about Victoria, would you James? Or you with Kerissa, Albus?"

"Kerissa isn't my girlfriend, mum!" said Albus quickly.

Tedd laughed. "It's alright. Things are going quite well with Victoire actually. It looks like soon I'll be a real part of the family.

Mr. Potter smiled. "You already are, Teddy." Teddy smiled back at him, and put the gifts down. He then walked into the kitchen, where Kreacher was preparing lunch.

"We have a little extra company this year." said Mr. Potter. "Victoria Chambers, and Kerissa Balfour. Kerissa is..."

"A Metamorphmagus!" said Teddy excitedly upon seeing Kerissa. Kerissa turned to him, her hair and face turning a light shade of red from embarrassment. "I can teach you to control that you know. It takes a lot of practice though!"

Kerissa's hair turned an even brighter shade of red after that. Teddy laughed, and then whispered. "I used to have the problem all the time too."

At lunch, Teddy taught Kerissa to changer her hair colour at will. James had tried to say that she'd only use it for evil purposes, but Teddy reminded him that his grandmother was in Slytherin as well. Mr. Potter had also once again tried to talk to Kerissa about Lady Sinister, but was again scolded by his wife. But Albus too was interested in finding out what his father could learn. He had partly wished his mother would let him ask whatever he wanted, but realized that Kerissa probably wasn't up for muhc questioning yet. And he hadn't invited her home just because of Lady Sinister - he had invited her, because she was a good friend.

Christmas approached at a breakneck speed. On Christmas Eve, Rose and the rest of her family arrived. Albus's Uncle Ron still hated the idea of his daughter being in Slytherin, but was careful not to say much about it. Rose seemed worried that her father was going to disown her, but her mother constantly reminded her that he'd never disown her. And that if he did, she'd hex him permanently.

Just before dinner on Christmas Eve, Albus's father and Uncle Ron had went into the study to talk about Lady Sinister. Albus, Kerissa, and Rose decided to try to listen in.

"Extendable Ears." explained Albus. "I took them out of James's room. I doubt he'll notice."

The three of them then listened in very closely at what the two had to say."

"So do you reckon it really was Lady Sinister then, 'Arry?"

Albus's father said nothing. But judging by Mr. Weasley's next statement, Albus could tell that his father had nodded. "Blimey... if she can get into Hogwarts..."

"Hogwarts is safe." said Mr. Potter. "You know how much trouble we went through to make sure of that."

"Yeah, but... don't you think we ought to have someone stationed at Hogwarts full time?"

"No. Professor Pardayle is more than capable of keeping an eye out for us."

The three gasped upon hearing that.

"Extendable ears." said Mr. Potter, having heard the audible gasps. "Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop?"

Mr. Potter then called the three of them down, and had them sit.

"I suppose since this involves you... we ought to be open about this." he said. "But first, would you mind telling us what you can about your attacker?"

The moment had finally come. Kerissa would tell his father more details about her attack, and he would be able to enlighten them on the situation. Or at least, that's what Albus had hoped would happen.

"I just remember... walking down to the lake. I was going to get some Flying Practice in..."

"Did anyone know that you were going to practice your flying?" Mr. Potter asked.

Kerissa shook her head. "I didn't even know I was going to practice until class had ended."

Albus's father had a look in his eyes that suggested that he might have an idea. "Do you mind if I do a simple spell on you, Kerissa? It won't hurt, I promise."

"Alright, I guess." said Kerissa. Mr. Potter then pulled out his wand, and said 'Reprendo!"

But nothing happened. It had seemed that Albus's father was on the wrong track. At least so far. But the questions continued.

"Did you see anyone unusual following you?" asked Mr. Weasley. But Kerissa again shook her head.

"Did you normally practice flying on Thursdays?"

Again Kerissa shook her head. The questioning seemed to be getting them nowhere. At least from Albus's perspective.

"Thank you, you were a lot of help." said Mr. Potter. The interrogation was finished.

"It didn't seem like much help..." said Albus, disheartened.

"It was." his father told him. "Sometimes it's important to rule out possibilities, as well as discover new information."

It made sense to Albus, though he still wished that they were closer to identifying Lady Sinister. But dinner was fast approaching, and it was Christmas Eve.

Mrs. Potter and Kreacher had prepared a wonderful meal for everyone. The ham on the table looked juicy and moist. There was plenty of food for everyone. Nobody would starve, that much was for sure.

Discussion at the table ranged from subjects such as Quidditch (the Chudley Canons were at the bottom of the league yet again this year), to family (Charlie Weasley was still in Romania tending to dragons, too busy to come home for the holidays). Everyone was having a very good time. Kerissa had been practicing changing her hair color at will, and now her hair was a festive green and red. Teddy preferred his hair to alternate between the two colors, making for a very fancy display. Albus and Rose were busy practicing Wingardium Leviosa, seeing what heavy things they could pick up. Mrs. Potter kept having to remind them that the presents might be breakable, and that they still had the trace on them.

"Mr. Potter, I hope you don't mind me asking." said Victoria. "But, do you think you could tell me more about the Patronus Charm? I'm doing a report on it for Professor Pardayle's class."

"Well, I do know a lot about Patronuses." said Mr. Potter. "But I think your mother would know a lot about them too. After all, she is going to be your Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher next year."

Albus's concentration broke, as the plate he had levitated in the air fell. Thankfully, his mother managed to catch it with her own spell. He gasped in horror at hearing his father say that they'd be having a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher next year.

"But... what about Professor Pardayle?" asked Albus quickly. Professor Pardayle had actually managed to make him feel welcome in Slytherin. And he had done a good job of teaching them on a variety of subjects. "Is he... retiring?"

Albus's dad shook his head. "No. Professor Pardayle is going to be the Headmaster of Hogwarts next year!"

Albus was somewhat relieved. But he had wondered who would be the new head of house. He hoped that it was someone nice. Like Professor Vareth. But he figured with his luck, Professor Binns would be the head of Slytherin house. And he would bore every one of them to death. Then, everyone in Slytherin would be ghosts. That'd be alright with James of course, but Albus wanted to be a ghost even less than he wanted to be in Slytherin at the beginning of the year.

"My mother does know a bit about Patronuses." said Victoria continuing the conversation. "But I'm interested in their uses for communication."

"Well, I'm afraid I don't know too much there. The theory behind it isn't very well known."

"No, it's not. That's why I was hoping for some insight."

"Well, not to worry. I don't think it'll affect your grade too much. There's not much about Patronuses on your OWLs next year." said Mr. Potter.

When everyone was done eating, Kerissa and Albus helped clear the table. After they were finished, they sat and talked with Lily and Teddy about their year at Hogwarts. They told them all about the mark. The first Quidditch Game. And their lessons.

It was getting late, when Mr. Potter gave Mr. Weasley a look. They nodded to each other. This had gotten Albus's attention quickly. Something was going on.

"Lily, Hugo." said Mr. Potter finally. "Do you think you could go play in the other room?"

He clearly had something important to talk about. And James and Albus both knew it.

"I'm sure you all remember the mark that was found in the hallways on Halloween." he said, once Lily and Hugo were out of earshot.

"That piece of graffiti?" asked James. "It's just a practical joke, isn't it?"

Mr. Potter shook his head. His tone was very serious. "No. It was the mark of a dark witch known as The Red Witch. But she calls herself... Lady Sinister."

James looked shocked. "Who?" he asked. He was one of the only ones in the room not to know the story.

"Are you sure you should be telling the kids this, Harry?" asked his wife. He nodded.

"It's best if we don't take risks." said Mrs. Weasley. "We can't keep them in the dark forever. We never stayed out of things at Hogwarts. I doubt our children will either, Ginny."

Mr. Potter looked to see his wifes reaction. She wasn't happy, but she looked as if she wouldn't protest further.

"Lady Sinister is a dark witch. We believe she may have been a follower of Tom Riddle, or as you know him - Voldemort."

"Nine years ago, she killed Kurtis and January Balfour. And she left a symbol above their infant daughters head. That same symbol was seen in Hogwarts."

"You're all safe at school, I promise you that. But I'd like to ask that when you return, you watch out for each other, and for your fellow students."

"It's probably someone in Slytherin." said James.

"I'm serious, James." his father said. "It could be anyone. We don't know who. Just be on the look out. I doubt anything will actually happen, but you can never be too careful."

Albus hated to admit it, but he felt that his brother might be right. It could be someone in Slytherin. And that bothered him very much.

Everyone went to bed that night, thinking about The Red Witch. Who was she? How did she get into Hogwarts? And why was Hogwarts so safe if she were there? But they soon drifted off to sleep, thinking of nothing but Christmas the next morning.

Albus woke up early, as he had every Christmas morning that he could remember. He was excited to open up gifts. James had gotten up just before him.

"Let's wake mum and dad up." said James with a wry smile on his face. They then went to their parents bedroom, and screamed for them to get up.

In the next room, Mr. Weasley was shouting "Gerrof!" at his daughter Rose, and son Hugo. It appeared that everyone was ready to open presents. Everyone, except for the adults.

Albus got a Wizard's Chess Set from his Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, a green knit sweater from his grandmother, and a pair of Sneaky Sneakers that made no footstep when you walked from his parents. James had gotten a pair himself, as well as a book of counter hexes, and a red knit sweater. Lily was the only one not to get a sweater, and got sweets instead. She also got a replica of the Hogwarts Express that was enchanted to move by itself. She seemed very delighted at the way it mimicked the real Train.

"I got you a present." said James to Victoria. "It's not much, but... here." He then handed her a copy of _Deadly Demented Dementors_. She seemed very happy, and then gave him his present - a kiss on the cheek. Albus hadn't seen his brother blush that much in a long time.

Kerissa's present from her Aunt and Uncle had arrived as well - a pink jacket with the letter 'M' embroidered on it. "I don't suppose the M stands for Muggle?" asked Albus curiously. Mr. and Mrs. Potter had also gotten Kerissa something - an enchanted diary that only the owner could read.

Christmas dinner was just as delicious as dinner was on Christmas Eve. Afterwards, Albus and Kerissa once again helped Kreacher and Mrs. Potter do the dishes.

"Thank you for having me, Mr. and Mrs. Potter." said Victoria, as she was getting ready to leave.

Mr. Potter smiled at her. "It was nice meeting you, Ms. Chambers."

"I'll see you when we get back to Hogwarts." she told James.

Victoria was going back home for the rest of the holiday. She wanted to spend time with her mother, who would just be returning from business in China. She took the floo network - a network of chimneys throughout the country - back home.

"We don't have to go and see cousin Dudley, do we mum?" asked Albus as he dried the dishes. His mom shook her head, much to his delight.

"But we did get a Christmas Card from them." she said, picking up the card.

It was rather ordinary looking. It didn't have any moving pictures. It was a very muggle card. It simply read:

Happy Christmas!

Sending the warmest Christmas

wishes to you and your family.

-The Dursely's

Even the picture on the card was about as generic as you could get - a Christmas tree, with a couple of ordinary ornaments.

"Could you imagine?" asked James, entering the kitchen now. "If our cousins were witches and wizards? They'd have to create a fifth house just for them - the Dursley House. Filled only with very boring people."

James and Albus both laughed.

"Now, boys." said Mrs. Potter sternly. "They may be muggles, but they're still family."

"Yes mum." they said in unison, quieting their giggling.

As Christmas drew to a close, James and Albus tried out their Sneaky Sneakers. They worked just as advertised, even while going up steps. Rose brought over her pet Kneazle, Salem (who she had gotten for Christmas from her parents after begging for one.) Kerissa gave her pink jacket to Lily, who was very happy to receive some 'muggle clothes' of her own.

Over the rest of break, Albus and Kerissa got ahead on their homework. Something that Rose was very pleased to hear. They also discussed what they should do about Lady Sinister. Even James had joined in on their conversations, but he never seemed to have any helpful suggestions. 'Check your own house, you'll find her!' was about all he could tell them.

Soon, the holiday's ended and it was time to return to Hogwarts. Kerissa thanked the Potters for letting her visit them during the holiday's. And Mrs. Potter told her that she should come and stay with them towards the end of the summer, so that she wouldn't have to travel to the station by herself.

When they finally arrived back at Hogwarts, they were very surprised by what they saw - more of the mark they had seen on Halloween.


	10. More Marks

**Chapter 10: More Marks**

Seven more marks had been made over Christmas break. Nobody was any closer in figuring out who had put them there. The only measure that had been taken, was for Mr. Hall to make more sweeps than usual. But even he wasn't able to catch the culprit in the act. Albus began having nightmares of a witch in red robes running around Hogwarts, putting up more marks. Each time he was able to see her face - it was someone different. Piper Holly. Professor DeMontmorency. Even Professor Atlee. He often lay in bed at night wondering just how safe Hogwarts was. He also wondered if Lady Sinister were putting up the marks herself - or if it was one of her followers. Death Eaters in Hogwarts. That was the last thing that he wanted.

"I think the teachers are starting to get worried." said Rose, staring at the mark that had been made outside of the Slytherin Dungeon.

Albus didn't tell Rose about his nightmares. He didn't need her to worry too. He was doing enough of that for the both of them.

Once term started back, the nightmares became less frequent. Albus didn't have as much time to think about Lady Sinister, or her marks. Class had managed to distract him, at least a little. Even History of Magic managed to take more of his time than Lady Sinister. On top of classes, was Quidditch practice, which Keegan insisted on them having nearly every day. "We have to beat Ravenclaw. Or we'll be a laughing stock." he kept reminding them.

Wind nor snow nor freezing rain could stop Keegan from forcing them out to the Quidditch Pitch to practice. All of the team players were to be on their best behavior - getting detention and missing a practice now, would mean having to practice harder later. Donahue had once threatened to quit the team if Keegan didn't let him study for his test in Divinations, but Keegan wasn't going to let him hold the team hostage for some fortune telling. "Unless you predict we're going to win, we have to practice as much as we can!". Albus was one of the only ones who didn't mind the constant training. Even Kerissa seemed to want to get away. But for Albus, this was about redemption. After he let the team down against Gryffindor... If they could just beat Ravenclaw, they'd still have a chance at winning the Quidditch Cup.

As the match approached, things in Slytherin House grew tense. A loss knocked them out of the race for the Cup. And seeing as they hadn't won since the defeat of You-Know-Who, losing again would be demoralizing. Quidditch was about all anyone could talk about. Students began offering to do the homework of players on the team. But none of them took up the offer. Some felt it was too big of a risk, and that if they were caught, they'd be spending the game in detention. Albus and Kerissa on the other hand turned it down, because they knew they couldn't neglect their studies and still do well.

It was on a very snowy day, that Keegan came bearing bad news. When the team stepped on to the field, they stood shivering waiting for Keegan to explain just what the bad news was.

"I've got some bad news," he started. "Today is going to be our last practice for a while. Hufflepuff has found itself a new Keeper, and has requested the field for the next couple of days in order to train him."

A couple of players on the team clapped. Albus and Kerissa did not.

"The worst part isn't losing out on practice... but that Hufflepuff already beat Ravenclaw. Sure, we need them to beat Gryffindor, but we've gotta beat them too."

"Relax." said Winchester. "We've got Balfour on our team. She can score on anyone."

Practice went about as well as anyone could hope. Keegan had pushed them harder than he ever had before. But everyone, including Kerissa, was seeing improvement.

At the end of practice, Albus and Kerissa stayed behind while the rest of the team went off ahead.

"We've gotta win." said Albus. "And I've gotta catch the snitch."

"You'll do fine!" Kerissa tried to assure him. But he wasn't confident in himself.

When they got back to Slytherin Dungeons, it was starting to get late. Albus and Kerissa sat with Rose and Scorpius, as they practiced turning a spoon into a shovel.

"Palaroto!"

Albus had managed to turn his spoon into a shovel, but the shape was off. It was more square than everyone else's. But at least it was the right size. Scorpius had managed a nice shape, but his shovel was too small.

As they reverted their shovels back into spoons, Gideon stumbled into the common room. His face was covered in pimples, and it looked as if he had been crying.

"What happened?" Rose asked him, as she made room for him to sit next to them.

"David Hunt." said Gideon.

David Hunt was a trouble maker. He had caused as much trouble as Albus's brother James, and then some. He had spread rumors that Albus was the one who put up the mark in the halls on Halloween. Luckily nobody believed him. Nobody believed him when he said that Rose had used polyjuice potion to turn herself into another student either. Picking on Slytherin students was his favorite hobby.

"What did he do this time?" asked Albus.

"He told me that Alexa Moon wanted to talk to me. A lot of good that did though... I met her where he told me to... and she jinxed me!"

"You should tell Professor Pardayle!" said Rose.

Gideon shook his head. "I'm stuck in Slytherin. If I snitch on someone now... I'll have to live with that for seven years. Besides... it's not like that was even the worst of it."

Gideon grimaced. "Hunt had followed me, and was laughing at me. Said I wasn't even fit to be in Slytherin."

"Oh! That Hunt... I suppose he thinks he's so great." said Rose with a scornful look on her face.

"And if that wasn't enough.. Ramsay Gladstone said that I wasn't even fit for Hogwarts."

Ramsay Gladstone was a Slytherin student in his third year. Albus had ran into him a couple of times, and he had never seemed nice. Albus realized how awful it had to be for Gideon - even his own house was picking on him. Something Albus realized would be his fate if he failed to catch the snitch.

The day before the big match, Albus had too much on his mind to think about much of anything - including the marks. At lunch he practiced the mending charm that Professor Atlee had went over in class. She didn't expect them to perfect it in their first year, but it was a good charm to practice now. And he knew it'd come in handy if anything important broke.

In Defense Against the Dark Arts, they were learning about Werewolves. Professor Pardayle tread carefully with the subject, suggesting that some werewolves are able to lead perfectly normal lives. Gideon managed to earn ten points by identifying the signs of a werewolf. And Albus had earned 5 for being able to explain what Wolfsbane Potion was. Wolfsbane was a potion that would help a Werewolf maintain it's sanity during the full moon. It was a very complex potion that they wouldn't be learning about until the NEWT Level .

After classes were over, Keegan had the Slytherin Quidditch team practicing one last time before the game.

"Alright. We can still win this." he said. Nobody else seemed convinced. "Turner... I want you to be careful with the bludger. Try to avoid hitting our seeker with it."

Turner looked a bit guilty. It had seemed the Keegan knew that he had done it on purpose. But it also seemed that Albus's chat with him had done some good.

"Balfour, Winchester, and I will be trying to score as many points as we can." he continued. "Albus, we'll need you to catch the snitch at just the right time. Wait until we're far enough ahead, and if Gryffindor loses just one game, we'll still be in the running. Then we just have to beat Hufflepuff."

It all sounded simple enough. But catching the snitch at the right moment was even harder than just catching the snitch. Albus hoped that Kerissa and Owen would score fast and often, so that he could catch the snitch the moment he saw it.

Practice went better than expected. Albus felt much more comfortable on a broom than he did back in October. And without his brother going up against him, he felt that he could try some riskier moves. He would be far less nervous, and much less likely to make a mistake.

The team headed back to the Slytherin Dungeon together. When they got back, everyone was very quiet. They all knew what was at stake. Keegan made sure the entire team went to bed early. He wanted to make sure that everyone got a good nights rest for the big game.

But it was hard for Albus to fall asleep. He lie in bed awake thinking about lots of things. About catching the snitch... about his charm work. And even, for the first time in a while, about Lady Sinister.

The next day, Albus woke up early. For once, he felt confident about the game. He put his mind off of his classes, and everything else. He was focused solely on Quidditch.

"You better catch the snitch today, Potter." scowled Peyton Pratt. "Or you'll be thrown off the team!"

Albus had managed to avoid Peyton for a while now. He had hoped he'd be able to go the rest of term without seeing him. But that was nothing more than wishful thinking.

"Don't listen to him." said Piper, standing behind him. "I don't know how he was named Prefect sometimes. Just do your best, that's what matters!"

Albus tried to smile. But he couldn't help but feel Peyton was right. If he didn't catch the snitch today, Owen would probably kick him off the team himself. There was always next year, of course. But he'd have a reputation as a poor seeker. It was a stigma that he did not want to live with.

After lunch, Albus and Kerissa headed down to the Quidditch Pitch, where they changed into their Forest Green Quidditch Robes. As they walked on to the Quidditch Pitch with the rest of the team, they saw that almost the entire school was there.

"Only one Potter can catch the snitch at this school." said Hunt, who had walked over to the Slytherin booths only to taunt them.

"Sure, if you mean Albus." said Gideon, trying to earn some points with his fellow Slytherins. It had seemed to work, as a couple of fourth years behind him agreed with him. It seemed as if even Slytherin would stick up for their fellow house members if they showed loyalty.

Once again River Jordan was commentating the game. Madam Bell blew the whistle, and they were off.

"Ravenclaw pretty much has this one in the bag. All they have to do is beam a bludger right at Slytherin's Seeker!"

Professor Atlee gave him a stern look.

"Ravenclaw has the Quaffle... intercepted by Winchester! Winchester passes it to Balfour, and Slytherin scores!"

Albus forewent clapping. He was looking closely for the snitch. He wanted to prove himself. Not just to Slytherin, but to himself as well.

Practice had seemed to pay off for Slytherin. Donahue was blocking everything Ravenclaw threw at him, and Keegan scored quickly, raising the score Twenty to Zero. But still, Albus had no sign of the snitch.

"...And Slytherin scores again. Slytherin Thirty, Ravenclaw Zero." said River, as Winchester managed to get the third shot in for the team.

Slytherin had once more gotten off to a good start. It wasn't too much unlike the last game. But that one had ended in disaster, and Albus had hoped that this one would be different. Kerissa and Owen scored once more each, making the score fifty to nothing. This gave Albus plenty of room to find the snitch. But it was nowhere in sight.

Donahue kept blocking shots, buying time for Albus. Ravenclaw seemed unable to score. But Albus knew that he couldn't keep it up forever. The faster he caught the snitch, the better.

"Kent passes it to Johnson... Johnson shoots... and misses! Slytherin has the Quaffle again. Can Ravenclaw score, or is it all up to their seeker?"

River had avoided insulting Ravenclaw too much. With Professor Atlee watching, he knew it was best he keep his mouth shut. But most people were thinking the same thing he was - Ravenclaw's chances were dropping. And their chasers weren't looking good at all.

The game continued on, still with no sign of the snitch. Albus began to feel sick at his stomach. He felt like he'd never find the snitch.

"Any sign of it, Potter?" asked Keegan.

Albus shook his head. "Just keep lookin'. You'll find it."

But Albus wasn't so sure.

Ravenclaw finally scored, as the crowd began muttering. Everyone was pointing up in the sky, and not in the direction of where Ravenclaw scored. Albus glanced up quickly to see what everyone else had saw. In the sky.. in red smoke... was the mark of Lady Sinister. Albus couldn't believe it. How had she done it? He then took a look at Kerissa. Her hair was as white as it ever had been, and her broom had suddenly caught on fire.

"Oh no!" shouted Rose, pointing towards her friend. "Is there anything we can do?"

"I'll go get Professor Pardayle!" said Piper, running off to find the head of house.

"Oh... and that's rough luck for the Slytherin team, as it looks like their best chaser goes down for the count."

It was then that Albus saw the snitch. Floating only a few feet above the ground. He looked over to Ravenclaw's seeker. He went into a quick dive, but Hawkins had seen him and began diving for the snitch as well.

"Hardy beams a Bludger right at Slytherin's seeker. This could be it folks! Can Potter dodge a bludger that's not from his own team?"

Albus saw the bludger heading right for him. He swerved right, and kept heading straight for the snitch. He took a deep breath... reached out... and in an instant, he had grasped it in his hands.

"Potter catches the Snitch! Slytherin Wins! Two-Hundred to Ten!"

Cheers came roaring from the Slytherin side. Everyone was excited to see them win. Albus couldn't believe it. He had caught the snitch. He turned around to see Ravenclaw's seeker swerving upward to miss colliding with the ground. He had won the team the game. And by the points necessary to stay alive in the standings.

On the ground, Kerissa was cheering him on. "You did it Albus!" she said. "I told you that you could!"

"Yeah... but your broom."

"It'll be alright." she said. "It just needs a little servicing. But..."

The rest of the team landed near them, to celebrate their victory together.

"I knew you had it in you, Potter." said Keegan. "We all had faith in you."

Winchester laughed. "That was a right dirty trick of someone to set Balfour's broom on fire. But we still won, didn't we?"

"Yeah. Usually it's Slytherin that does the dirty tricks." said Keegan. "Mind you, nobody on this team would do anything like that. Any idea who might want to do this to you?"

Albus and Kerissa looked at each other. They both had wished they could read each other's minds. Should they tell the team? Was it safe to?

Kerissa shook her head. "No... I have no idea."

They couldn't explain Lady Sinister to the rest of the team. They just weren't sure who they could trust. And it wasn't like they could be of much help, either.

Just then Professor Pardayle approached the team.

"Well done, Potter." said the Professor. "Well done, indeed. Ms. Balfour, are you alright?"

Kerissa nodded.

"I think... we need to have a chat. In my office. You too, Potter."

Professor Pardayle then left. Albus and Kerissa knew what it was he wanted to discuss. But both of them were very nervous. They left the team to go see Professor Pardayle in his office.

"Ms. Balfour, I'm afraid that it's gotten far too dangerous for you to play Quidditch."

"But... Professor!" Kerissa protested.

But it was no good. "I'm sorry, but for your own safety I am banning you from Quidditch until we sort out this Lady Sinister."

"But we'll never beat Hufflepuff without Kerissa!" said Albus. "And I doubt that..."

"Your father agrees with me, Potter." said Professor Pardayle sternly. "With this attack, it's become clear. Lady Sinister will do anything to accomplish her goals."

Albus and Kerissa both sighed.

"You may go now. And Ms. Balfour? I'll be needing your broom. I'll inform Keegan that he'll have to find a new chaser."

Albus and Kerissa walked back to the Slytherin dungeons depressed. "Banned from Quidditch..." said Kerissa. Her hair was a light blue now.

"I'm sorry, Kerissa." he said. "If I had caught the snitch sooner..."

But Kerissa assured him that there wasn't anything he could do.

"I... should write to my uncle." she said. "I really should thank him for the gift. And he'll probably want to know that I can't play quidditch now."

That night, Slytherin celebrated harder than it had in a very long time. Even Peyton Pratt seemed to be nice to Albus. But he had a hard time celebrating. They couldn't bare to tell the team that Kerissa wasn't allowed to play Quidditch. It would break their spirits. For one night, he felt, they should all be able to celebrate.

The next day, Keegan found out about Kerissa's ban.

"This is ridiculous!" he said. "We have a winning team, and now our head of house wants to ban our best player from playing!"

The rest of the team seemed none too happy either. They all wanted an explanation. They felt that Kerissa was being punished for being attacked. Several students stood up for her. It was a bit inspiring for Albus to see.

He wanted to tell them why it was dangerous for Kerissa to be out there. He wanted to tell them what the mark meant. And for the first time, he felt like he could. But he had decided against it. He had no idea how deep Lady Sinister had penetrated Hogwarts. He just couldn't take the risk.

Keegan eventually named Marlowe the temporary new chaser for the team. But everything about him was a downgrade from Kerissa. He had missed a number of shots in practice. His broom was an X10. And he didn't seem to have as much heart as Kerissa did.

The week went by, as Kerissa felt worse and worse about not being able to play Quidditch. Albus and Rose tried to cheer her up. But nothing seemed to do the trick.

On Saturday, Hufflepuff managed to beat Gryffindor. That had only made matters worse, as Kerissa knew that the team needed her more now than ever.

"I feel like I'm letting the team down." said Kerissa.

"It's not your fault. It's... _hers_." said Albus, trying to comfort her.

But there wasn't anything he could do. Unless Lady Sinister was caught, Kerissa would have to sit out their game with Hufflepuff.

Albus tried thinking of how to convince Professor Pardayle to let Kerissa play. Keegan had put even more effort into it than he had. But there seemed to be no solution. No matter how much they had begged him, he refused.

Then, something had dawned on Albus. If he could find Lady Sinister, then Kerissa could play Quidditch again. If he could catch her... then Slytherin would have a chance at winning the Quidditch Cup.

"I have to catch her." said Albus to Kerissa and Rose.

"But that's dangerous!" Rose told him. But Albus wouldn't listen.

"I'm doing this."

"Then I'm going to help you." said Kerissa.

Albus wanted to say no. But he couldn't. It was Kerissa's life that was at risk here. She had every right to be involved in the hunt for Lady Sinister.

"But," said Rose. "Where do we start?"

Albus thought for a minute. Rose had a point - none of the school staff had been close to catching whoever it was making the marks. And it was obviously a high priority after the mark appeared above the Quidditch pitch in the match between Slytherin and Ravenclaw.

Then another idea dawned on him.

"Let's go see Hagrid." he said. "We need to ask him about Kerissa's parents. If we can find out why they targeted them, then we'll have a better idea of what to do."


	11. The Balfours

**Chapter 11: The Balfours**

When they knocked on the door of Hagrid's hut that evening, he quickly asked "Who is it?" and let them in.

"What are you three doin' here?" asked Hagrid, as they had a seat at the large table.

"Well," said Albus, thinking of how best to put it. "Kerissa was wondering about her parents. And we thought it'd be best if we asked you."

Hagrid looked confused. "Well I don't know if I ought ter be the one to tell yeh."

"But you said that her parents - the Balfours - did a service to wizardkind." said Albus. "So I figured... you'd be the one to know."

"Aye. I did say that, didn't I. Well, I suppose it couldn't do much harm."

Kerissa smiled, as her hair turned bright yellow. Albus then realized that this was the first time that Kerissa would hear something about her parents other than their deaths. He felt that he might be intruding a little, but he wanted to hear too. And he felt it'd help him figure out why Lady Sinister was after Kerissa.

"Durin' the second wizarding war," began Hagrid. "It weren't safe fer wizards to be wanderin' around alone. You-know-who had ordered for all muggle-borns to be rounded up. Called em' Undesirables he did."

"After the death of Albus Dumbledore, the greatest headmaster this school has ever had, things was worse than ever. Yeh were named after him, you know?"

Albus nodded. His father had told him the story many times. About who he was named after.

"Well... lot's of wizards had to go into hidin' didn't they? Not everyone were up for fightin' the death eaters. Just bein' out in plain sight put yeh in danger."

"But Hogwarts was safe, wasn't it Hagrid?" asked Rose.

Hagrid shook his head. "Fraid' not. See, You-Know-Who took control of the school right quick. Made it unsafe for Muggleborns to come to Hogwarts. Made attendance mandatory for all witches and wizards in Britain."

"But anyway... January, that was yer Mother, she and Kurtis were smart ones. Very talented at magic. They put a Fidelius Charm on two houses."

"What's a Fidelius Charm?" asked Albus. He had heard of it before. But he wasn't quite sure what it was.

"It's a charm that hides a location from everyone. A secret keeper keeps the location secret. Only they can tell someone where it is. And only people they tell can find the location."

"Right yeh are, Rose!" said Hagrid beaming.

"I read about it in a book on Charms my mother gave me." she said.

"Anyhow," said Hagrid continuing the story. "Kurtis were the secret keeper of one location. And January were the secret keeper of the other."

"Why did they need two locations?" asked Albus.

"Well, that was it." said Hagrid. "Normally one location would be enough. But they were takin' extra precautions. Yeh couldn't be too safe in those days."

"January would go out and find muggles and wizards who were in danger, and would bring them to where she was the secret keeper."

"Wasn't she in danger?" asked Rose.

Hagrid nodded. "Aye. She were. But, she were an Animagus. And an unregistered one at that. She could get by the snatchers without havin' any trouble."

"What was her Animagus?" asked Kerissa, very interested in her mother.

"A falcon, I believe." said Hagrid. "Some sort of bird. Allowed her to come and go without anyone knowin'. That's why it was her, and not Kurtis that went out and found people in need of a place to hide."

"But Hagrid..." said Albus. "That still doesn't explain why they needed two places."

"Well, because January had to go out she was always at risk. Didn't want to give away the location of the people they kept. So January would bring people to the location where she was the secret keeper. And Kurtis would show up, and tell them the location. He'd then take them back there, and nobody'd be the wiser."

"So, they provided safety for wizards that were traveling?"

Hagrid nodded again. "And muggles too. They didn't discriminate against nobody. In fact, January placed several protective spells over muggle homes."

"What happened after the war was over, Hagrid?" asked Albus.

"Well, they did memory charms on the muggles. And everyone who had stayed the duration were able to leave. Saved a lot of lives, yer parents did."

Kerissa smiled. She was happy to know that her parents were good people. That they had saved lives during Britain's second wizarding war.

"I reckon they saved a lot'o lives. Protected many who would have otherwise got caught."

"What did my parents do after the war, Hagrid?" asked Kerissa. She was still interested in hearing more.

"Well, I dunno about yer father. He and your mum split up for a bit. But yer mother took over as the Transfiguration Teacher here at Hogwarts."

Kerissa's eyes widened. "She taught at Hogwarts?"

Hagrid beamed at her. "That she did. She were head of Slytherin house and all. Till she died of course. After that we got a new Transfiguration teacher. Never was the same... till we got Professor Vareth that is."

Albus was thinking hard. "Do... you think the death eaters teamed up with Lady Sinister because Kerissa's parents fought against them?"

Hagrid shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe. But it's gettin' late. And yeh should all be gettin' back now."

"Thanks, Hagrid." said Kerissa. She was glad to have heard the story of her parents. The more she knew about them, the better she felt.

The three left for Slytherin dungeons as night had fallen. They hadn't figured out who might putting the symbols up at Hogwarts. Or who would have set Kerissa's broom on fire.

Back in the common room, Albus couldn't help but think about everything Hagrid had said. January had been a teacher at Hogwarts. Could Lady Sinister have also worked there? He had only half-heartedly considered a member of the staff before. But now it made perfect sense. Not even Professor Flitwick had any luck in removing the symbol. It wasn't magic that any student could do. It was magic that only an experienced wizard was capable of.

"I should see Professor Pardayle." said Albus to himself. "Maybe he knows something more."

But he'd have to wait until tomorrow. It was already late, and he didn't want to risk losing points for Slytherin. And he was sure that Professor Pardayle wouldn't like him prying further into the matter.

The next day classes went by slowly. Herbology was back to being boring. But there was hope for the subject, as next year they'd be working in one of the green houses. Albus quite preferred doing things hands-on, than out of books.

"Can anyone tell me when the Spaghetti Trees bloom?" asked Professor Longbottom. "Yes, Hewitt?"

"In early April." said the brown haired girl.

"Correct. Five points for Ravenclaw!" said Professor Longbottom.

Professor Longbottom went on to explain what Spaghetti trees did (They produced never-ending pasta, which was perfect for Wizarding Parties), and how they had caused a panic when they had been discovered by Muggles many years ago. It took the ministry of magic a month to modify the memory of millions of muggles who had heard the story on their news. The lesson had made Albus very hungry, and it seemed to have a similar effect on the rest of Slytherin.

At lunch, the owl post arrived as usual. Albus didn't get any mail, but he could see that his brother had gotten a howler.

"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER!" the howler shouted. Albus suppressed his giggles. "HOW DARE YOU TAKE THAT OFF MY DESK! YOU BETTER RETURN IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!"

Everyone else stared at James. Getting a howler was never fun. And everyone knew better than to ignore it. It'd just make things worse. Albus had wondered what it was James had taken. But he figured he wouldn't get an answer, so he didn't ask.

After lunch was History of Magic. Professor Binns droned on about Olag the Awful, and for once Albus was unable to fall asleep in class. Not because Olag the Awful was an exciting subject - even if it had been, Professor Binns would have been unable to keep it exciting. But because his mind was still on asking Professor Pardayle more questions.

"Olag the awful was a wizard in the twelfth century. He was known for kicking Goblins. The Goblins did not like it when he kicked them. That is why he was known as Olag the Awful."

Albus yawned. He had entertained the thought of Olag the Awful kicking Professor Binns. But even that was not enough to suppress his urge to fall asleep.

"Can anyone tell me, who killed Olag the Awful? How about you, Polk?"

Albus looked around. Professor Binns had the bad habit of getting names wrong. Something that Albus found funny, seeing as it was hard to keep track of Olag the Awful, and Orag the Malevolent. He had wondered how Binns had managed to not get them mixed up as well.

"Uhh..." said Albus, hoping Professor Binns would correct him, and say he's not Polk. But he had no such luck. "Mordin the Magnificent?" he said, making up the first name he could think of.

"That is right. Mordin the Magnificent killed Olag the awful. He killed Olag the awful because Olag the awful was kicking Goblins."

Albus pulled out his History of Magic book, and looked up Olag the Awful. He had wondered if he was actually right, or if Professor Binns had mixed up Mordin the Magnificent with someone else, just as he had mixed up him with Polk. Normally, he wouldn't have cared. He was happy just to get an answer right. But he was too bored, and could not sleep. So he figured he might as well do something productive with his time.

To his surprise, his made up name was correct. Mordin the Magnificent HAD killed Olag the Awful.

Olag the Awful

1182 - 1227

Olag the Awful was born in 1182. He attended Hogwarts

school for witchcraft and wizardry, and was sorted into

Slytherin. He was a pure-blood wizard, who enjoyed

torturing Goblins. His favorite way to torture them was to kick them, as that was a great insult to a

goblin. He was known for being very cruel to

everyone and everything. He invented the Kicking

charm, which would cause someone to kick the person

or creature nearest them. In 1227, Mordin the Magnificent killed him. Mordin was a well known

champion of Goblin Rights. When Olag the Awful

used the Kicking Charm to make Mordin kick a Goblin,

Mordin had enough. He killed Olag the Awful then

and there. It is unknown what spell Mordin used to

kill Olag. Though some speculate that it was the

killing curse.

The lecture continued on for what seemed like forever. When class finally ended, the rest of the class woke up, and left.

"I can't believe he actually asked me a question." said Albus.

"I can't believe you actually got it right." said Rose. "But I'm glad to see you've been studying."

Albus shook his head. "I just guessed." Rose looked disappointed. "You really should be studying."

"I will! Listen... I'm going to go ask Professor Pardayle about the Balfours. Do you want to come along?"

Rose shook her head. "I'm going to get started on my report on Mordin the Magnificent. You should too!"

The last thing Albus wanted to do was work on a report about Mordin the Magnificent. "How about you, Kerissa?"

Kerissa was more than happy to go along. Any chance to hear about her parents was one that she was going to take.

When they arrived at Professor Pardayle's office, he instructed them to come in immediately.

"Yes, how can I help you?" he asked.

"We were wondering..." said Albus.

"Do you think you could tell us about my mother?" finished Kerissa. "We heard that she used to be a teacher here, so we figured you might know something."

Professor Pardayle smiled. "Ahh yes. She was the Transfigurations teacher here for seven years. And the head of Slytherin house before me."

"Were you here while she was teaching?" asked Albus.

Professor Pardayle nodded. "I've been the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for nearly twenty years now. I was here when January was teaching."

"Have any of the other teachers been here as long as you have?" asked Albus. He was treading carefully, not wanting Professor Pardayle to suspect why he was asking. For the time, he seemed not to.

"Well, Hagrid, the divinations professor and Professor Sinistra have all been here longer than I have." Professor Pardayle said. "And Professor Alexandertorte became a teacher the same year that I did."

Albus had held back his gasp. He hadn't thought about it much before now. He thought it had been too obvious. But he wondered... Professor Sinistra. Could she be Lady Sinister? She didn't seem the type. But he couldn't rule her out.

"Other than that... no teacher has been here as long as I've been."

"Were any of the current teachers still teaching, when my mother was teaching?" asked Kerissa.

Professor Pardayle nodded again. "Professor Atlee, of course. But other than that, nobody else."

Albus grimaced. None of them seemed like good suspects for Lady Sinister. He wondered if he were on the wrong track.

"What can you tell us about her?"

"She was a very talented witch." said Professor Pardayle. "An Animagus, in fact. And those are quite rare. She was able to transform into a falcon. Like you, Kerissa, she was a metamorphmagus. One of her feathers was a different color that she was able to change at will."

"Was she a parseltongue?" asked Albus. He wondered if Kerissa had gotten it from her mother.

Professor Pardayle shook his head. "No, that was Kerissa's father. Kurtis."

"Did you know my father?" asked Kerissa. She had heard much of her mother, but not much of her father.

"Not very well." said Professor Pardayle. "I'm sad to say it, but I did not know him very well at all."

"What about my Great Uncle Alestair?" asked Kerissa.

"Yes." said Professor Pardayle. "I know him very well."

"Could you tell me about him?"

Professor Pardayle had a grim look on his face. "He was a foolish old man, who was very set in his ways. He's not like that anymore, mind you. His niece's death affected him greatly."

"Do you think you could pass a letter on to him for me?" she asked.

"Of course!" said Professor Pardayle, beaming at her. "It's the least I could do. I'm sure he'd be very happy to get a letter from you."

She then pulled the letter out of her pocket, and handed it to him. "Thank you."

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" asked Professor Paradayle.

"Just one thing..." said Albus.

He had hesitated. He knew that Professor Pardayle wouldn't approve of them looking into Lady Sinister. But he had to find out more.

"Do you have any idea who is after Kerissa?"

"Mr. Potter, are you looking into this matter?"

"Uh..."

"I should warn you. You should not be getting involved in this investigation. You are still a first year student. Your parents would be very worried about you if they found out that you were trying to find the culprit behind these marks."

"I must ask that both of you stay out of this. We are handeling it the best we can."

"Yes sir." said Kerissa and Albus half-heartedly.

"Now if that is all, I have work to do."

Albus and Kerissa left the Professor's office. They had hoped Professor Pardayle could have told them more. Or better yet - that they had caught the culprit. But that had not been the case. Kerissa seemed unlikely to get to play in the game agianst Hufflepuff. And worse yet - her safety was at great risk.

"We can't give up." said Albus. "Even if Professor Pardayle said we should. I don't think we should."

Kerissa agreed with him. They had to keep looking. But they hadn't gotten very far. They learned a lot about Kerissa's parents. Albus had been inspired by their story. He wanted to help Kerissa more than ever now. But they needed more help. He, Kerissa, and Rose just weren't enough.

"We need to find someone else to help us." said Albus.

"But who?"

They considered their options. Keegan was a good choice. He was older. And he was properly motivated to help. Marlowe hadn't been doing so well in practice, and Keegan would be more than happy for Kerissa to be reinstated to the team. "He'd probably hex Lady Sinister back to the stone age." said Albus, laughing. But they decided against it. Keegan had enough on his mind without adding this.

They also considered Piper. Also older. But she was too busy studying for her OWLs. Gideon nor Scopius were good choices either - neither would be able to add anything to their search.

"We've run out of ideas..." said Albus. "I can't think of anyone who'd want to help us."

"You're forgetting someone." said a voice from behind them. Albus and Kerissa turned around and were shocked to see who it was.

"I'd love to help."

It was Albus's brother - James.

"And why would you want to help us?" asked Albus indignantly.

"Because," said James. "Gryffindor needs Hufflepuff to lose to Slytherin. Else, we lose the Quidditch Cup."

Albus rolled his eyes. He figured that James had his own reasons for wanting to help. But he never imagined Quidditch would be one of them.

"Besides, it'll be exciting!" he said with a smirk on his face.

Albus hated to admit it. But his brother could help. He knew most of the secret passegways in the castle, while Albus had discovered none. And he was a year older. He knew more magic.

"Alright," said Albus. "We'll accept your help."


End file.
